The Potter's Daughter
by Flyaway Dove
Summary: Lily Potter, daughter of Harry and Ginny, sister of James and Albus, leads a normal life, full of ups and downs. This is an account of her most memorable moments as she struggles through the wonderful years of the young, ages 11-30 plus epilogue. COMPLETE
1. Year One, Sorting

**The Potter's Daughter**

_Year One, Sorting_

Lily Potter was nervous about starting Hogwarts, despite what she had been saying on September first for the past four years, ever since her brother James started Hogwarts. Her parents seemed all too willing to see her and her brothers off of platform nine and three-quarters and onto the steaming Hogwarts Express: they said their farewells quickly, and Lily's mum merely gave her a tight hug and a wish of good luck before pushing her towards the train after her siblings.

She glanced back at her parents as she boarded the Express. It was a nervous glance, and her parents met it with encouraging smiles. Lily knew that both of her parents had loved Hogwarts, back in their day, and she was determined to do the same. However, as the train's whistle blew and it gathered speed, leaving her parents on the platform and herself in the train's corridor, she couldn't help but recall the tales Albus and James had told her of muscular seventh years lying in wait for first years to board the Hogwarts Express for their first time. She glanced around fretfully as she made her way down the hallway, waiting for said students to jump out and hex her. The new, ten and three-quarter inch ebony and phoenix feather wand was clutched tightly in her hand, and she peered into the carriages on either side of her, looking for a brother she could sit with.

Then again, her brothers probably did not want their younger sister sitting with them. Albus, at least, had made this clear to her yesterday, while they were packing their trunks for school.

"I don't want my mates thinking I like hanging out with first years," he said annoyingly from the bathroom that joined his bedroom with Lily's. "My little sister will destroy my new image."

Albus was all about image. He would be a third-year student in Slytherin house – the only Potter ever to be placed in Slytherin. Except, Lily realized, for the fact that she could be placed in Slytherin as well.

She had always heard that Slytherin was the worst house to be in. Slytherin had spawned dark wizards, scores of them, including the darkest wizard of them all, the wizard whom her own father had defeated twenty years ago, Lord Voldemort. Of course, Albus knew of this as well, and James was very keen on pointing this out to him as soon as he was sorted into the evil house. Albus insisted that the bravest man their father knew was in Slytherin, and stuck by this story, though Lily and James had never heard this piece of evidence from their father.

Nevertheless, Lily hoped that she was sorted into Gryffindor. This was the House that her mum, dad, Aunt Hermione, Uncles Ron, George, Percy, Bill, and Charlie, as well as both sets of grandparents had been in. Lily was very proud of her family roots, and wanted to continue the Gryffindor tradition. She wanted to follow in her father's Auror footsteps after Hogwarts and live at home until her parents kicked her out. She loved her family…well, maybe not Albus, because he always pulled mean tricks on her, especially since he had been sorted into Slytherin house. James, on the other hand, was her favorite person to be around, even out of her cousins Rose, Hugo, Freddie, Victorie, and Teddy, who wasn't really her cousin, but they called him a cousin anyhow.

She had a lot of relations like this, it seemed. Take, for example, Auntie Luna and Uncle Neville. She had to call him Professor Longbottom at Hogwarts to show respect. She was fine with this because she did respect him, very much so, and she was willing to go to some lengths to prove this to him; after all, he was the person who had taught Lily her first spell: _Expelliarmus._

It was going to be strange seeing most of her cousins so frequently at Hogwarts. She hoped that the sorting hat would choose to put her in Gryffindor, away from Slytherin Albus and Ravenclaws Rose and Victorie, and with James, Teddy, Hugo and Freddie. Rose was too much of a know-it-all, in Lily's opinion. Usually, at family gatherings, Lily, Rose and Victorie were stuck hanging out together while the boys played Quidditch, which infuriated Lily to no end. While she was trapped, listening to Rose rambling on about books and facts and Victorie talking rapidly in French, to make Lily feel inferior, Lily's brothers and cousins soared around the yard on their broomsticks. Sometimes she joined in when they were a player short, but she mostly flew by herself, when her brothers were elsewhere. Other times she persuaded her parents into flying with her, especially this past summer, because she was training to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. James reminded her that they didn't allow first years on the team, but her father had been an exception to the rule and so, Lily decided, would she.

There were no empty compartments on the train, but Lily found James in the last one. Four other boys were gathered on the benches with him, laughing and playing around. She wondered if she would allow her to sit with him and his fifth year friends. She hoped he did because she certainly did not want to sit in a carriage with strangers. James and his mates looked towards her as she slid the compartment's glass door open timidly.

"Lily—hi!" James greeted warmly. "Come in, sit down! Guys, this is my little chum, Lily. Sorry, Lils," he said, turning to her, "I forgot you don't like to be left alone."

She felt her cheeks burn red with embarrassment at his annoyingly accurate statement, but she sat down next to her brother all the same, not looking around at the other boys. "All of the compartments were full," Lily mumbled, her face tilted towards the floor.

"You don't mind if she joins us, do you?" James inquired to the carriage's contents, flashing his sister an inviting smile.

When the boys decided that they were fine with Lily sitting with them, Lily ventured a look up.

If she had been a few years older, all of these boys would be rather attractive to her. As she was not a few years older, she merely found them intimidating fifth year boys. James introduced the group to her, but she wasn't one for remembering names, and they slipped right out of her head.

The ride to Hogwarts progressed and the sun sank lower in the sky. Still, Lily's nervousness had not subsided. The impending sorting was drawing closer, and she was afraid that, no matter what house she ended up in, friends would be difficult to come by.

She didn't participate in the boys' conversation, (though she was very grateful for the fact that James allowed her to sit with him), and she slipped out of the compartment to change into her robes as they neared the castle.

Back in the compartment, she admired the sleek, new black robes that would soon be adorned with a house badge. Her parents would want to know, right away, what house she was sorted into, so she'd have to compose a letter tonight, before classes started and she became too distracted with school work to write to them. She kept trying to reassure herself that her parents would be proud of her no matter what house she was sorted into, but she still cringed whenever she imagined being in Slytherin.

When the train slowed to a stop and the students started filing out, James told his friends to go on ahead so that he could help lead his sister to where she needed to go.

"James, you don't have to do this for me," Lily said, feeling embarrassed again as they were left alone in the carriage.

"Lily, I know this year is going to be difficult for you, without Mum and Dad," James said. He was smiling at her. "I know you're worried about the sorting, but no matter what house you end up in, I'm still your brother."

She smiled back; she knew that he was telling her he was there for her, through thick and thin, whenever she needed to talk. James was always good for that, no matter what the situation. "Thanks, James." She gave him a hug, and he glanced around, making sure no one was watching, before he wrapped his arms around his little sister. "And don't worry; I'll make my own friends." She was trying to convince herself as much as her brother.

He led her out off of the Hogwarts Express and onto the platform in Hogsmeade. From there, she headed to the boats with the rest of the first years and boarded one with a girl and a boy in it. Their faces were covered in shadow, the only light being cast by the single lamp hanging from the bow of their boat. Lily's instinct was to cower into the stern, and that's what she did, allowing the darkness to hide her shyness. The other two, however, were eager to meet new people and make new friends. They introduced themselves as Garrett and Lucile. Apparently the two were already friends, and had been since birth. Lily had the notion that it was going to be difficult to become friends with them, but as they approached the castle and told Lily about themselves and their lives, she got the feeling that they were willing to welcome them with open arms into their friendship.

Lily walked with them into the castle, and she could see them more properly there. Garrett had a fair complexion, with blonde hair and light eyes, while Lucile was the exact opposite, with dark skin and hair. They laughed easily together and tried to join Lily in their conversation as they were ushered into a room off of the Great Hall by a teacher. Lily laughed at their jokes and attempted, against her normal personality, to talk with them until the sorting began. They were led into the Great Hall, the magnificent ceiling stretching out above them, the four house tables surrounding them, the teachers table before them, right behind the stool with the Sorting Hat placed upon it. Lily's heart started thumping noisily against her ribcage as the rip in the brim of the Hat opened, and it began to sing. The words were lost to Lily, who was focusing on the beating of her heart and her possibly impending doom.

Garrett and Lucile were both called up to the hat before her as Blume and Moore, respectively. When Lily Potter's name was read, she wove her way through the crowd of first years and sat on the stool, facing the rest of the school of Hogwarts.

Her father had told her of when he was sorted and the name Potter was a surprise to the whole of the Wizarding World. She was glad that there were two Potters in school before her, and that the reputation of her father had been worn down with time, so that there wasn't much attention specifically on Lily Potter as she sat on the stool, under the Sorting Hat, in front of the entire school of Hogwarts.

It must have been only a moment before the Hat decided where to place her, though it seemed like long, stretching minutes before it shouted "Gryffindor!" amidst the hundreds of Hogwarts students. Applause erupted from the Gryffindor table, and Lily could distinctly hear her brother and her cousins cheering the loudest, welcoming her to the table. She sat amongst her new Gryffindor friends, Garrett and Lucile.


	2. Year Two, Quidditch

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_Year Two, Quidditch_

Quidditch tryouts were currently in progress, and Lily Potter was waiting in the stands until the captain called out her name, enabling her to begin her trial as a Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. At the moment, the Chaser trials were being run, so Lily still had to wait through two more Chasers and four Beaters until it was her turn.

She was not as nervous about this tryout as she had been about being sorted last year, and for this she was grateful. It would be very difficult to fly if there were knots in her stomach, accompanied by fluttering butterflies, causing a violent stomachache. When it came to flying, Lily was competent and fairly confident in her skills as a Seeker.

James played Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was sitting with his fellow teammates on the sidelines of the pitch, watching the possible Chasers fly around, trying to get the Quaffle through one of the three hoops guarded by the captain, who also played Chaser on the team.

Albus played Quidditch as well, for the Slytherin team. He was a very adept Chaser, and had been playing on the team since last year.

Lily had not been able to try out for the position of Seeker last year because there was no need for a tryout: the Seeker was a seventh year student. Plus, James pointed out to her, even if an opportunity for tryouts was needed, she probably wouldn't have been allowed a trial because of her first year status. He reminded her that their father had only secured the Seeker position in his first year because of a situation out of his control.

But now Lily was in her second year and fully prepared to take her place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Sitting next to her were three others who wanted to try out for Seeker. They all appeared to be older than second year students, and Lily tried not to let their older appearances intimidate her. She doubted that these other three students wanted the position of Seeker more than she. Ever since Lily could remember, her dream was to become Seeker on a house team, just like her father. He had been a marvelous Seeker, from what her mother told her of the days they were in school together. Her mother had been a Seeker for a time, as well, before becoming Chaser, so Lily figured that Seeking was in her blood.

Her grandfather, James's namesake, had also been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The Potter family Quidditch players stretched across three generations, and Lily was determined not to be the Potter that failed the family tradition.

The Chaser tryouts were over, one was selected by the captain, and the Beater trials began. Lily battled the knots that were threatening to tie themselves in her stomach as burly-looking fifth years stepped onto the pitch with Beater's bats. As one of the team members released the Bludgers into the air, Lily managed to untie said knots with deep breathing. The girl sitting on the bench next to her gave her a sidelong glance of curiosity as she listened to Lily's heavy breaths. Lily clutched her Lighteningbolt tightly in her hand, the wood of the broomstick's handle pressing reassuringly against her palm.

James and Albus had both made it easily onto their respective house Quidditch teams. At James's tryout he had blocked the hoops expertly, preventing all attempts the Chasers made at scoring a goal. Albus, on the other hand, had made every goal he attempted on the Keeper. They had both unanimously been voted onto the teams. Lily hoped that she would have as much luck as they did.

The Seeker tryouts were now in progress, and the name of the girl next to Lily was called. Her broom was not as new as Lily's was, but she still flew very well. The nervousness was beginning to set in, so Lily tried to think of other things besides her upcoming trial.

Over the past summer, her brothers and cousins allowed her to participate in Quidditch games during family picnics and the like, after she confided in James how much she despised sitting under a tree, watching, with Rose and Victorie. Her skills had improved with the help of the boys. They were more willing to tell her what she was doing wrong than her parents were, she learned.

Her name was called. Swallowing hard, her heart thumping much as it did that sorting day in the Great Hall, Lily stepped forward with her broom in her hands, climbing down the bleachers and onto the pitch.

She was glad that it was a nice day outside. There was little wind and the sun was hiding behind a cloud, so it wouldn't glare in her eyes as she searched for the Snitch. She found that when the sun was bright and shining it reflected off of metallic surfaces, sometimes feigning the look of a golden Snitch. But that would not be a problem today.

The two Seekers who had flown before Lily had caught the Snitch in twelve and eight minutes, respectively. She knew that it would be easier to find it now, without the rest of the team on the pitch, without another team trying to whack Bludgers at her head, and without another Seeker looking for the Snitch as well. She hoped that she could find it before the other two Gryffindors that had tried, and that the last boy, who would try out after her, would be a slower flier than she was. Her record time for catching a Snitch in a backyard game of Quidditch was ten minutes, but that only occurred once. The Snitch in their yard tended to hide between rocks and under the cover of bushes. These tactics became annoying quickly, so Lily hoped that the Snitch she would have to find in a few moments stuck to the air.

She stood at the edge of the pitch, waiting for the captain to come over to her with the Snitch in his hand. Lily glanced over at the rest of the team, sitting on the sidelines. James caught her eye and gave her a wink. In the Hufflepuff set of stands across the long, oval pitch sat Garrett and Lucile, come to watch their friend try out. They weren't fliers themselves, but they supported Lily's determination to make the team.

The Snitch was released in front of her, so she mounted her Lighteningbolt and shot off after the tiny golden ball. She loved the feeling of weightlessness with the wind whipping against her face and tangling its fingers in her hair. These aspects of flying were what drew her to a love of flying, and Quidditch.

She estimated that a minute had passed in her less-than-eight-minute goal. Squinting, she scanned the pitch in search of the Snitch. There was no gold glint in sight, and she pressed her broom to go faster, laying herself down flatter against the sleek handle.

Her father always made sure to update his children's brooms as new models came out on the market. He wanted to ensure they were all playing and practicing with the fastest, most state-of-the-art brooms on the market. Usually, this meant yearly broom updates. As soon as a new broom hit the stores, it would be in the hands of Lily, James, and Albus. (This was the only way he spoiled his three children; other than the newest brooms, they lived rather modestly.) The Lighteningbolt had been this summer's new advancement, and Lily and her brothers were the only three students in Hogwarts to have one. James would frequently parade his about to make everyone else jealous. Lily hoped the new broom wouldn't fail her now.

She had no idea how much time she had spent up in the air, frantically turning her head from side to side, looking for the little sphere. Her grip tightened around the wood of her broom. Anxiousness was descending over her. She had to beat the others and make the team, she just had to. She would be humiliated to be the only Potter not to be admitted to the ranks of a Hogwarts Quidditch team. She had to make her parents proud of her.

Just then, she found what she had been searching for. There was the Snitch, lurking on the side of the pitch closest to her. It was hovering under the left goalpost and didn't move from that spot as she approached it as fast as her broom would allow. She stretched her arm out towards it, praying it would not move from her grasp. She swerved around the goalpost and made a grab for it. At the last second, as her fingers were encircling the ball, it tried to zoom away, but Lily reached her fingers further and held it tightly in her hand. She directed her broom to the ground and dismounted. The Snitch was flapping wildly in her hand, attempting escape, as she walked over to the captain and handed him the ball.

"Nice time," he complemented, looking down at his stopwatch.

She flashed him a smile, wondering if he was going to reveal to her this _nice time_.

"Seven minutes and thirty seconds," he said, answering her unasked question.

The flash of a smile spread rapidly across her face, stretching her mouth into a wide grin. She had beaten the designated time! They _had_ to make her the new Seeker now, didn't they?

James was grinning at her from the sidelines.

"I have to confer with my teammates," the captain said to the potential Seekers lined up on the side of the pitch. He turned to the Gryffindor team and they began speaking in hushed tones amongst themselves.

Lily frowned. This process of decision was too complicated for her. She bounced on the balls of her feet in worry.

It must have only been a minute or two until the captain turned around again, but that minute or two seemed like an hour or two for Lily. When he finally did turn to face the prospective Seekers, he managed to keep all emotion from his face. Lily bit her lip.

"This decision, especially, was a difficult one," he said. "My teammates and I have talked it over, and we've come to a decision we think we'll all be happy with. Congratulations to our new Seeker, Lily Potter."

Lily felt as if she might faint when she heard this news. An elated smile broke out across her face and her eyes immediately sought out James, who beamed back at her. The other Gryffindors who had tried out were mumbling behind her, storming angrily back to the castle. Lily, however found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move out of happiness and shock. Gryffindor had a new Potter on the team.

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	3. Year Three, Christmas

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_Year Three, Christmas_

At the moment, Lily was placed in front of the Christmas tree in her pajamas, waiting for the rest of her family to make their way downstairs to open gifts. She had a mug of hot tea warming up her hands, and she was staring at the glittering lights of the Christmas tree. It was six-thirty, and she was hungry, but a rule of Christmas set down by her father was that breakfast was not to be consumed until all of the family was present. Christmas was all about the family, and not much could be done alone at Christmastime.

Birthdays and Christmas were extravagant events in the Potter household. Lily's favorite holiday was Christmas, it always had been. The reason was not the presents she received, though those were definitely a plus. The reason was because she got to spend the entire day with her family in red and green.

Her parents took off work for Christmas, no matter what. Despite her father's erratic work schedule as an Auror, he always found a way to come home for December 24th and 25th and spend time with his family. For all of Lily's thirteen years on Earth, the element of life most emphasized by her father was the importance of family. He had never known his own family, save an aunt, uncle, and cousin. He occasionally wrote to said aunt, but other than his mother's family, Lily's father had no one else to speak of from his past. He considered Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and their family to be his own family. His parents and godfather had been killed by the evil Lord Voldemort, who her father, in turn destroyed. Because of this, Christmas was a very large event in the Potter household.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Lily's mother spent every spare moment covering the house with decorations: garlands encircling the doorways, lights adorning the banisters, tinsel hanging from the chandeliers, mistletoe swinging from the ceiling. In the ballroom, a ten-foot tree was erected and festooned with candles, fairy lights, and icicles. On December 22nd, the baking began. Lily and her mother concocted coconut cakes, peach pies, mince pies, chocolate cakes iced with pink roses, apple dumplings, various pastries, Christmas pudding, treacle tarts, cookies galore, and rice pudding. Delicious smells filled the spacious house for days, and Lily spent those days either covered in flour and sugar, her hair in a ponytail, or in her bedroom wrapping gifts in bright wrapping and silky ribbon.

While all the family spent time together, they also were bathed in secrets. A rule of Christmas was that all gifts were surprises. Therefore, every present was treated with secrecy, and each was hidden until wrapping time.

On Christmas Eve, it was customary for the Potters to have a dinner with only the immediate family, finishing it off with the Christmas pudding. After dessert, the family migrated into the ballroom and, with mugs of hot chocolate and a glowing tree; they would each open one gift. Another rule of Christmas was that this gift could not be a large one; usually it was a box from Grandma Weasley containing a sweater or a scarf. Bedtime usually came soon after that, though it took Lily a long time to sleep out of excitement. Even though she was now thirteen, the excitement of Christmas still had not worn off. The last thought Lily always had before she drifted off to dreamland was that Christmas evening would bring the rest of the family, as well as friends, for a large dinner party that she could not wait for.

Lily was surprised that Albus was not present in the ballroom yet. He was usually the first person downstairs waiting for the present unwrapping. Both of her brothers were later than they usually were, and Lily was growing impatient.

This was a special Christmas to Lily's family, because this was the last Christmas they would all spend together before James moved out. Lily didn't like to think about the end of the year, when James would be graduating and leaving her with Albus, all alone in the house. James had been there for her for the past thirteen years, and the house wouldn't be the same without him. Even though he was nearly eighteen-years-old, he still found time to hang out with his little sister. He was never embarrassed of her, and she was grateful for that.

Albus entered the ballroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was wearing only pajama pants, and he shuffled across the cold marble floor towards her, his dark hair flopping into his eyes. He had taken to not wearing a shirt around the house lately, to show off the muscles he had been developing as a part of his new Quidditch training program.

"Aren't you cold?" Lily chided. She didn't really approve of his new fashion trend. She preferred to see her brothers fully clothed, thank you.

Albus pretended not to hear her question; he merely scuffled over to the sofa that sat in front of the Christmas tree and sat down next to his sister. "James is on his way down," he mumbled. "Did you make me some tea?"

"The kettle's on the stove," she told him.

Grumbling, he got up and made his way to the kitchen, leaving Lily alone once again. She hoped that the rest of her family came downstairs soon. Her tea was nearly gone; she should have asked Albus to fill her cup, not that he would have. He had become progressively nastier to her over the years. Lily blamed it on Slytherin house. Of course, he always pulled his tricks on her when their parents weren't looking, so they never caught him in the act. The only person that chastised him was James. Lily didn't know what she was going to do once James moved out. Perhaps she would have to move into his new flat with him. He had already decided that he wanted to live in the States and work for the cause of international magical cooperation. Lily hoped that he would as near to her as possible, so he could visit often, but she knew that he had big dreams to fulfill. She just had to make the most of the time she had left with him.

James entered the ballroom from the foyer just as Albus reentered from the kitchen. "Hey Lil," James greeted sleepily, ruffling her hair as he took a seat next to her.

"That's my seat," Albus grunted, standing over James with his cup of tea.

Lily wondered how it was possible that Albus could irritate her so early in the morning. There was an easy chair on either side of the sofa, but he had to be obnoxious, even on Christmas Day.

"Where're Mum and Dad?" Lily asked James, ignoring Albus as he had ignored her earlier.

"Mum was in the loo, and she said Dad's on his way down," James replied. 'They'd better hurry, I'm hungry."

Albus was sorting the gifts into piles for each person. Their parents never purchased more than two gifts for each child: they didn't believe in spoiling children too much. Once, years ago, James complained about not getting enough presents, and their father launched on a lengthy rant about his cousin and how he always got too many presents for his own good and how it made him a spoiled and fat child. None of the Potter children ever complained about the number of presents they received ever again.

Their mother and father entered the room as Albus was shaking presents up next to his ear. They were both in bathrobes, and looked more awake than they probably felt. "Is anyone ready for presents?" their dad asked heartily.

Breakfast would just have to wait. Mr. Potter was always prepared for present opening as soon as he woke up. Lily's parents joined her and James on the couch, and Albus passed them each a gift. Lily tore off the wrapping paper on the oblong package and removed the box lid. A new set of Quidditch robes with gold lining stared up at her.

The family went through their packages in this way for the next half hour, exclamations of joy expelling from each one of them. Lily watched with pride as her father unwrapped the silk tie printed with dragons, and as her mother opened the new stiletto heels she had been eying for months. Lily had been saving up her pocket money for these gifts all year. She knew that, now that she was thirteen, she could not longer get away with handmade gifts for her parents. For her thirteenth birthday they had increased her pocket money allowance, and therefore expected her to treat her money in a more adult fashion. She had purchased these gifts for her parents, as well as a new shirt for Albus (as a little hint), a nice watch for James to help him when he went off on all of his worldly business, and small things for Garret and Lucile. She had also embroidered pillows and handkerchiefs for her grandparents and other relatives because her pocket money had run out after she had purchased presents for her immediate family and friends. Since she could only do embroidery for the rest of her family, she had also improved her calligraphy skills and constructed fancy cards for each member of the family.

When Lily reached the end of her small pile of gifts, she realized that she had not received a gift from her favorite brother James. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she searched under the piles of discarded, wrinkled, wrapping paper for a box. It was James who normally gave her the largest gift.

"Who's up for a spot of breakfast?" her mother asked when she realized that everyone was finished opening their new things. Albus was now wearing the shirt Lily gave him, as well as a new hat; James had on his new watch and was fooling around with his new model of a Quidditch pitch, equipped with two flying teams.

"I'm starving," Albus exclaimed, springing up from his place on the floor and following his mother out of the ballroom and into the kitchen.

The three left in the ballroom were silent for a while, James and Mr. Potter admiring their new toys, and Lily still searching for a box from James. "Um, James?" Lily said eventually, clearing her throat.

Both her brother and her father looked over at her.

"I don't think I got a present from you," Lily continued shyly.

James looked as confused as she felt. "I bought you one. See if it's still under the tree."

Lily left her place on the couch and, on her hands and knees, searched under the large tree. The bottom branches were dropping, obscuring her vision.

Her mother loved Christmas trees. She liked to keep theirs erected in the ballroom for as long as possible, even if that meant getting in a tiff with her husband over it. Lily's father didn't like the Christmas tree to still be standing in the ballroom when he entertained guests. Still, Mrs. Potter always applied charms to the falling needles and added potions to the water in order to make the tree last well after Christmas. Sometimes, she was even able to make it look healthy until February. After a certain point, however, not even the charms and potions could keep the tree fresh, and it eventually had to be set out by the street kerb to be taken away.

Lily spotted a rather small box half-covered by the tree skirt. She retrieved it, and promptly began to remove the wrapping paper. James watched as she lifted the box lid and gasped at what lay inside. On black velvet padding sat a silver, heart-shaped locket, inscribed with the letter _L_. Mouth agape, Lily removed the locket delicately from its bed and opened it.

The two pictures inside were of herself and James. "It's so you won't forget me once I've gone," James said, half-jokingly.

Tears sprung to Lily's eyes against her will.

"Ah, but wait, there's more," James added, sliding off of the couch and sitting next to his younger sister. Lily tried to blink the tears from her eyes and James carefully flipped over the picture of himself to reveal two more pictures: one of their mother and one of their father. "And again," he said, and flipped over the picture of Mr. Potter to reveal yet two more picture compartments. Only one of these was filled. It contained a photograph of the face of Albus; the heart-shaped space opposite him was blank. "That one's for that special boy that must pass my rigorous tests before he takes your heart," James said, pointing at the blank spot.

The tears that Lily had been fighting back spilled out of her eyes, and she threw her arms around her big brother, the locket clasped tightly in her hand. This was the best gift she'd ever received in her life, and she would cherish it forever. "Thank you so much, James! I love it!" she cried into his shoulder.

James returned her embrace, chuckling, his deep voice resonating throughout Lily's body. "I knew you would."

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	4. Year Four, Move

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_Year Four, Move_

Since Lily's boat ride with Lucile and Garrett across the lake and up to the castle of Hogwarts, they had been inseparable as friends. They helped one another with homework, attended Hogsmeade together, spent snowy days in the common room in front of the fire, confided in each other, ate together, and spent their summers together for the last four years. That paradise, however, was now over. Garrett was moving to Greece because his father was transferred to Edessa, and their trio was shattered.

Lily was standing with her two friends on Platform 9 and ¾, tears pouring freely from her eyes. The platform was nearly vacant, most of the students having already gone on their merry way with their respective homes. These students were all looking forward to a nice holiday break, away from professors and exams. Lily was not looking forward to said holiday break at the moment. She was too busy clutching her friend Garrett and crying into his shirt. Lucile had hold of his other side, and had taken to soaking his other shoulder as well.

"P-please don't go!" Lily sobbed, stuttering. "We'll miss you too much!"

"There's no power in two," Lucile agreed. "Triangles are magical!" Lucile always came up with strange lines such as this to say.

Garrett tightened his arms around his two best friends. "I knew I should have never made friends with girls," he grumbled jokingly. "They're too emotional."

Lily chuckled, hiccupping, and drew away from Garrett.

She knew that her father, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione had the type of friendship shared by Garrett, Lucile, and herself back when they were in school. They had been, and still were, a strong support system for one another, despite the fact that two in their number had become more than friends. Lily was secretly proud that she was apart of a friendship like her father's, but now all of that was changing. Lily was saying goodbye to one of her best friends. She did not know when she would see him again.

"When are you coming back to visit us?" Lucile sniffled. "Can't you just stay the summer?"

Both she and Lily knew that this was impossible; they had already discussed it amongst themselves and with various adults. Lily wished it was possible. She had offered James's room for Garrett to stay in, but Garrett's parents wouldn't have any of that. They did not want the family to split up. What they didn't realize is that they were splitting up another sort of family, and that it could not be repaired once broken.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, you know that Luce," Garrett told her soothingly. He looked a little teary-eyed himself, but he prided himself on his manliness, even at fourteen, and would not cry.

Things had been more difficult this past year for Lily since James moved to the States. She had been relying more heavily on her two friends for support and assistance since her big protector had graduated and was no longer at Hogwarts to shield her from insult and injury. Albus had also been thornier to her, now that James was not around to knock him around a little bit for making fun of their little sister. Her parents had thrown more expectations and responsibilities on her, and they were harder to deal with than her responsibilities usually were. James was only accessible by owl, and letters took a long time to send. She had thought, at first, that they could at least Floo letters from the Potter house to James's flat, but he was not connected to the Floo network, sadly. He had two weeks of holiday time that he was going to spend in his old room. During these two weeks, Lily planned to monopolize upon his time. She had much to tell him. But those two weeks were still a month away, and right now she was saying farewell to one of her only friends.

She didn't know how long the three of them had been standing on the platform, embracing and crying. Neither she nor Lucile was ready to send Garrett off to Greece with his parents, though this was a moment Lily knew was rapidly approaching.

"C'mon guys, a few little countries can't really split us up," Garrett said encouragingly. Lily wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, himself or his friends. "I'll write every week, and I'm moving back as soon as I'm allowed to get my own flat."

"Don't make more friends like us, okay?" Lucile ordered.

Garret stared at her, his heart obviously breaking as his face crumpled and tears burst forth from their ducts. He grasped Lucile tightly, wrapping both of his arms around her lithe body. "I love you, Luce; I will never meet another person like you, and I will never, ever lose touch with you. I will be there for you forever."

Lily hugged herself, watching the two of them sadly. In the four years since she had become friends with Lucile and Garrett, there had been rare occasions when she felt like and outsider when they made a reference to an event that happened before she had gotten into that rowboat with them. Because they had been friends since birth, they had shared uncountable moments together before they had invited Lily into their friendship. They had been tactical in not referencing inside jokes over the years, but Lily realized that this was a moment when she needed to step back and let them be the friends they had been without her.

Both of them were sobbing, bodies shaking against each other. Lily wiped a rampant tear from her cheek and glanced past her friends at her parents, who were talking with Garrett and Lucile's parents. They all looked concerned and sad, watching their kids. Lily's parents caught her eye and smiled positively. Lily mustered up a half-smile in return. Albus was probably waiting at the car with the trunks, waiting to go home. In the three years previous to this one, Lily rushed to the car as well, excited to get home and share her Hogwarts experiences with her parents. This year, though, she found that she never wanted to leave this platform, because leaving this platform meant leaving Garrett.

Lucile and Garrett were the only two friends that she had made at Hogwarts so far. The three stuck to each other like glue, so she found no reason to make other friends. By nature, she was introverted and quiet, soft-spoken and shy. It had taken enough effort on her part to make a connection with Lucile and Garrett, and those connections were made out of some necessity for friendship. Now, she was down James and Garrett. Lucile was all she had left, and that thought made her even sadder.

Garrett released Lucile and launched himself at Lily, inviting her back into the loop. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and hugged him as tightly as she could. His arms tightened around her back, squeezing the air from her. "I love you Lil," he told her quietly, so only she could hear. He was the only person that could get away with calling her Lil. She hated the nickname, but he had first called her that at the feast, and at that time she was too shy to tell him that the name repulsed her. He used it often, so it had grown on her. Still, his was the only voice that she could tolerate it from.

"I'm so glad you climbed into that boat with Luce and me," he continued. "You've helped me through so much. I don't know what I would do without your friendship. If you stop writing to me, I'll kill you."

Lily chuckled and gave Garrett and extra squeeze. "I love you, too Garrett, you little overemotional girl."

"Garrett," his mother called from the line of parents. "I'm very sorry, but our plane leaves in an hour." Her voice sounded timid and sincerely apologetic.

Garrett wordlessly pulled away from Lily's embrace, looking at his best friends. He gave Lucile one last hug, glanced sadly at them, tears still sparkling in his eyes, turned around, and walked heavily over to his mother. After one look back, Garrett and his family disappeared through the brick wall into King's Cross Station.

Saying goodbye was not one of Lily's favorite things to do. She wished that Albus was her older brother that would move out instead of James, whom she loved immensely. She wished that someone else was moving to Greece, perhaps Scorpio Malfoy, instead of her best friend and Lucile's lifeline. She wished that she didn't have to go through this pain of separation.

Lucile looked like a wreck. Her face was red and blotchy; her eyes still releasing water as quickly and silently as a faucet. She grabbed Lily's hand. "It'll be okay, Luce," Lily said, her own tears tapering off. "You still have me."

Lily had never known how to be a friend before she met Garrett and Lucile. The only people she had been there for were her brothers, and even then mostly James. She could confide mostly anything in her older brother James, though she knew he kept things from her, preferring to talk to his own friends at school when it came to important matters. When Lucile and Garrett came into the picture of her life, she had to learn to be consoling and supportive, even if they did something she did not fully approve of. She had to learn to be a friend, and that was something she worked hard at. She now prided herself on being a friend, and she knew that her good-friend-self needed to be there right now to support the breaking Lucile. Presently, Lucile's strength faltered, and her body went limp, not being able to support her any longer. Lily quickly reached out for her, and held on to her friend as they both slid to the concrete of the platform.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Lucile said softly. "It must seem like I'm being a drama queen and like I don't value your friendship all at the same time."

"Of course not," Lily corrected. "I know Garrett just took a piece of your heart with him through that wall."

"It feels like he did it literally," Lucile moaned, burying her head in her friend's neck.

Lily sympathized immensely with Lucile. The truth was, she thought Lucile was reacting exactly how she ought to. Lily had never said anything bad about her friends before, out of fear that they wouldn't be her friends anymore, and she certainly was not going to start now by calling Lucile a drama queen, despite the fact that she was acting as if Garrett had just died. They may not have been separated by death, but thousands of miles was enough.

"C'mon Luce, let's go back to my house," Lily offered, attempting to lift her friends up off of the floor. This effort appeared to be in vain until Lucile used her own legs. She began to say, "But my parents—"

Lily cut her off. "Your parents will understand you need to be with me right now. I know you'd much rather be upset with me than with them."

"Thanks, Lily," Lucile said, almost pleadingly. "I love that you're around."

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	5. Year Five, Hogsmeade

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_Year Five, Hogsmeade_

Lily had always enjoyed going to Hogsmeade because it meant a day away from the castle to shop, eat candy, and enjoy a mug or two of butterbeer. Rain or snow, heat or cold, the Hogwarts student body headed to the Wizarding village for a Saturday. Lily, Garrett, and Lucile had been attending Hogsmeade since the third year together, but since Garrett left last summer the girls had been going alone. They had been doing everything alone, as they usually did, except their relationship was now void of Garrett. Lucile wrote to him nearly every day, but letters to Greece by owl took some time to deliver. Therefore, Lucile had to send a few letters at a time and then had to wait for his letter in return. Her owl had been tired out for weeks. Thus, Hogsmeade visits were no different, until this Valentine's Day trip.

Originally, Lily had felt guilty when she had been asked to go to Hogsmeade by Scott Warner, a Ravenclaw. Like Lily, Scott was a fifth year, and he shared many of her classes. She had been quietly eyeing Scott for a few months now; still, the Hogsmeade invitation had been a surprise. Apparently, Scott had been interested in Lily for a few months as well, and he had been doing a very good job of hiding it. It was after Potions, in the corridor, when he asked her. Lily had never been asked on a date before that, so her first reaction was to blush at his offer. Her second reaction was to stammer embarrassingly. Luckily, Scott seemed embarrassed as well. He nearly turned around and walked away from her, giving up. At the last moment she blurted out an affirmative answer, and a smile broke out on his face.

Lily had only been able to feel guilty about this date for a week before Lucile secured a date with Frederick Hast of Hufflepuff. Now, they were both going on their first dates on the same day.

Since Scott had asked Lily out, he paid extra attention to her in and in-between classes. He threw her extra smiles over desks while Professor Binns was lecturing, he passed her notes in the busy corridor, he engaged her in conversation in the Great Hall. Lily often felt redness creeping up her neck and face when he approached in an obvious show of attention to her. She felt a little awkward talking to him, but she hoped all of that would change on their date.

She had been waiting for this day for weeks, and it had finally arrived. Lily arose early in order to give herself enough time to get ready before they left for Hogsmeade. She was to meet Scott in the Entrance Hall in three hours. Presently, she was holding two sweaters up to herself in the mirror; one was black, one green.

"The black one," Lucile told her sleepily, peering out from her bed hangings. Lily tossed the green sweater onto her four-poster, taking Lucile's advice.

"Do you know what today is?" Lily asked her sleep-drugged friend.

"Of course I do, silly."

"Then what are you doing in bed?"

Lily took her time getting ready. She had to look perfect for the entire day, which she knew would be a hard feat to accomplish. Lately, she had been experimenting with some beautification charms, but she didn't know how long they would hold her hair up.

She and Lucile left the common room, as pretty as could be, with then minutes left before it was time to leave for Hogsmeade. The pair made their way down to the front doors in silence, each contemplating their upcoming day. They parted company in the Entrance Hall, both wearing smiles of nervousness.

Lily was trying not to shake as she looked around the crowded hall for her date. "There you are," came a voice from behind her, and Scott appeared by her side. Lily pulled her school robe closer around her to hide the outfit she was now having second thoughts about. These thoughts were springing up into her head because of Scott's delectable attire. Under his robes, he was wearing a lovely grey turtleneck that definitely showed off that body of his, and a pair of pressed, black slacks. His Ravenclaw scarf was hanging around his neck. All of a sudden, Lily's nervousness felt like it was going to burst from every pore of her body, sending pieces of her flying everywhere. That would certainly be a way to start, and end, the date.

The Entrance Hall was beginning to empty: the students were filing out of the warm castle and out into the snow.

"Erm…are you ready to go?" Scott asked her hesitantly, his cool demeanor slipping away, letting anxiousness through.

"Absolutely," Lily replied, trying to appear confident. He looked, for a moment, like he was going to grab her hand, but then decided against it.

They followed the mass of students out of the heavy front doors and into the cold, wintry grounds. Snow was falling lightly, sprinkling the heads of the students like jimmies. The grounds of Hogwarts were embodied in a snow globe.

James had been courting girls since his fourth year, so Lily assumed that her parents would be all right with her going on a date to Hogsmeade. Still, she wanted to ask them, just in case. She added the fact about James's dating for added support for her point. She had already told Scott that she would go out with him, so she hoped that her parents would give her their blessing. The letter back told her that she was absolutely allowed to go with him, and her mother wished her luck.

Now, she needed that luck. She and Scott were making their way to the Wizarding village in silence. She knew that she could blame the silence on the icy wind and the scarf wrapped around her mouth, but the fact of the matter was that Lily couldn't think of anything to say. Her hands were beginning to sweat inside of her mittens. The nervousness was flooding her stomach. She breathed in deeply through her Gryffindor scarf, trying to calm her breathing.

When they finally broke the silence, they both did it at once, asking different questions. This caused laughter between them and the awkward air that had settled over the couple was lifted.

Lily's father had told her about his first date. Said date occurred in his fifth year, with a girl named Cho Chang. He told her how awkward the date had been, and succeeded in making his daughter thoroughly apprehensive about her own first date. She hoped that Scott would not be as tactless with her as her father had been with Cho Chang and mention some other girl he had to make later. She also hoped that Scott was not leading her into a tea shop filled with fluttering cupids and heart-shaped confetti.

They reached the town of Hogsmeade with the rest of the students in a few minutes. Scott led her up the High Street and into a little back corner café near the end of the street. He held open the door for her and she entered the small, dimly lit place, muttering a _thanks_ at him. The heat inside immediately made it necessary for her to remove her scarf from her mouth. The place was fairly crowded, witches and wizards gathered around tables and at the bar. "Pick a table," Scott offered, removing his own scarf from around his face. "Is coffee okay?"

Lily smiled at him. She knew that her nose and cheeks were tinged with the wind and cold, which made her a little self-conscious. "Coffee sounds wonderful," she told him.

The truth was, she didn't much like coffee, but she figured sugar had the wondrous capability of overpowering the coffee flavor. Scott approached the counter and Lily took a seat at a two-person table in the corner. She didn't recognize anyone in the café, but that was just as well. If the date turned sour and she had to escape, at least no one would know of her humiliation.

When she had written James of her impending date, he had responded with a lot of advice on the subject. He gave her lots of ideas about what boys liked to talk about, (Quidditch), and warned her against kissing him on the first, (or second), date. The last part of the letter consisted of a threat to Scott. This had made Lily giggle. James had always been overprotective of her. She knew that he was serious in his warnings against Scott's misbehaving, so she wasn't planning on reporting to him anything offensive Scott did today. She hadn't informed Albus of her date. He hadn't been getting any nicer to her. Instead, he had begun to avoid her more and more. Lily hoped that he was not up to any shenanigans with his Slytherin friends.

Once a pile of sugar packets had accumulated net to Lily's coffee cup, the drink was not so bad. Conversation was flowing nicely. Lily was getting warmer as the day wore on, so she removed her coat, hoping that her outfit choice was not a mistake. Scott definitely noticed the move. "You look really nice," he said.

Lily played with the silver locket hanging around her neck.

A few years ago, Lily's mother had told her about the start of her and her husband's relationship. Mrs. Potter had told her that their relationship began with an impromptu kiss, not a date. They had merely shared a few short, happy weeks together before Mr. Potter nobly left to hunt the Dark Lord Voldemort. Once he was destroyed, however, Lily's mother had been there to pick up the emotional mess that was her father. She took care of him and looked out for him through the aftermath of the battle. The rest had sort of unfolded naturally, and they were married within three years. Theirs was a story of true love; a story that Lily wished to have to tell her own children.

The talk ad moved naturally to Quidditch, Lily unaware that she had pushed the conversation in that direction. She could talk of Quidditch all day, but Scott seemed a little less interested in the subject that most boys, which surprised her. A line of James's letter popped into her head: _Blokes can yammer on about themselves for hours_. Thus, she turned the conversation to Scott's interests.

The nervousness had all but faded away by the time their second coffee cups were drained and they were ready to leave the café. But when Scott reached for her mittened hand as soon as they were outside, the nervousness came flooding back to her stomach. They stepped out into the showy afternoon hand-in-hand. Lily wondered vaguely how Lucile was doing.

"Would you like to go back to the castle?" Scott wondered through the howling wind. "I thought we could play some chess or something."

It appeared, however, that there was no time for such games; students were all filing out of shops and back up to the castle. Scott looked slightly crestfallen.

"How about we do that sometime this week?" Lily suggested boldly. He looked brighter at this comment.

They endured the bitter cold up to the school. Once inside, Scott walked her up to Gryffindor Tower.

The nervousness was mounting again as they neared the Fat Lady. She liked Scott. She liked him a lit, and she didn't want to ruin any possible future with him by acting awkward and obnoxious. At the portrait, she dropped his hand and turned to face him. "Well…er…thanks for the coffee," she stammered. She wanted to kiss him, but remembered James's advice against such an action.

"I had a really great time with you, Lily," he said. "I'll see you this week, then, for that chess game you owe me." He smiled, broadly and genuinely at her. Then his face was coming towards her.

She had never been kissed before. Lily began to panic, wondering if she could back out now. From what she'd heard, first kisses were always uncomfortable, clumsy messes. She didn't know if Scott had already had his first kiss and knew what he was doing, therefore expecting her to know what she was doing. As Scott's lips descended onto hers, she wondered vaguely if Lucile was experiencing her first kiss as well today. Her eyelids fluttered closed.

His lips were a little chapped from the brutal wind that had bettered them outside. They were also surprisingly warm and gentle. He seemed to be hesitant with his mouth, which gave Lily a little courage to push back with hers. She wondered how long this was going to last—it seemed like an age already. Right as that thought was passing through her head, Scott pulled away.

Lily snapped her eyes open, not wanting to be caught looking like a ninny with them closed. Her lips were tingling. Scott was smiling widely at her, showing all of his nice, white teeth.

"Good-bye," Lily said breathlessly, nearly in a whisper. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lily," he said. He sounded almost breathless as well. Lily touched her locked for the second time that day, wondering if Scott's picture would fill the last heart-shaped slot.

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	6. Year Six, Birthday

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_Year Six, Birthday_

Today was Lily's sixteenth birthday. Today she became the age that people recognized as growing up. It was a Saturday at Hogwarts. Today was the day that people were lounging outside, playing with the giant squid and finishing homework assignments. Today was the day that only Lucile and Scott knew was special.

She missed the days before Hogwarts, when she was at home and her birthday was celebrated like a national holiday. She was showered with surprise gifts and a monstrous cake; she was allowed to do whatever she was inclined to do for an entire day. Albus was even forbidden to pick on her on her birthday. Not that he was available to pick on her at school this year, either. No, now he was out on his own, just like his older brother James. His graduation had been more a happy occasion to Lily than a sad one like James's. To be honest, she did not miss Albus much at all. He was currently working in Wizarding London, apprenticing with an apothecary. He and one of his old Slytherin buddies were sharing a flat in the heart of London, and he did not come home often. Her father, however, when Lily had always suspected of favoring Albus, was upset that his son lived so close to home, and yet never visited his family.

Lily enjoyed being an only child, in the sense that she was an only child. She had the full attention of her parents when she was at home; they did the activities she wanted to do, they were there to help her with her Quidditch, they were there to listen to her and her alone. Not to mention the fact that Albus was never around to tear the mickey out of her to annoy her to death about her lack of magical knowledge. Plus, his Slytherin mates were never around to assist him in poking fun at her for various things or to eat all of the food in the house.

However, she was not currently at home for her birthday, she was stuck at Hogwarts, where only two people in the student body knew about her special day. Garrett had mailed her a very sweet card from Greece, along with a few Chocolate Grogs (her favorite sweet), but that was all she had received so far today.

She was currently munching on one of her chocolaty gifts outside near the lake, with her best friend and her boyfriend. The lake was unnaturally still today, the air windless and heavy. Next to her, Lucile and Scott were working on their Transfiguration essays. Lily was supposed to be adding the finishing touches on her own parchment, but she was too distracted by the students frolicking across the lawn, playing with Fanged Frisbees and throwing rocks into the calm water of the lake. She id not want to be stuck sitting under this tree, doing homework, on her birthday. She did not usually have a problem with not being popular, but now was one of the moments she did. It depressed her a little to think about all of the students at Hogwarts who were not her friends; many of them didn't even know her name. Right now there were only two people here who cared about her, and they were focused on their homework, not her.

"I'm going for a walk," she announced, taking the last bite of her Chocolate Frog and rolling up her unfinished essay. She noticed that Lucile and Scott shared a significant look behind her back as she stood up. "Can you guys take my stuff in when you're finished with your homework?" Without waiting for an answer, Lily walked away towards the forest, planning to take a stroll around its perimeter.

Behind her, she heard a violent whisper of _"Go!"_ from Lucile, and before she had taken ten steps, Scott was coming up beside her. He slipped his hand into hers, intertwining their fingers. "Come with me, Lils," he told her, and led her towards the edge of the forest. He was walking quickly, practically dragging Lily along by the arm.

Garrett had always made sure to do something sweet for his friends' birthdays before he moved to Greece. One year, Lucile had woken up with a stuffed rabbit (her favorite animal) next to her head. AL day it blurted out random saying in Garrett's voice, such as _"I love you, Lucile!" _and _"You're neat!"_ Lily hadn't stopped giggling all day. The next year, Lily had gone down to breakfast following a trail of lily petals all the way down to her seat in the Great Hall. That seat was strewn with lilies, her favorite breakfast foods heaped on the plate in front of her.

Scott hadn't even given her a gift. Granted, Lily and her boyfriend had been fighting a lot lately and spent most of the time sulking around and glaring at one another, but he still could have gotten her a present on her birthday. Lucile hadn't even given her a gift yet, though Lily knew one would come later in the day as it always did. Maybe she had been wrong, though. Maybe there was no one at Hogwarts who cared about her. Maybe that significant look Scott and Lucile had shared was a bad omen. Maybe that _"Go!_"was telling Scott to go dispose of her in the forest. Lily wanted to cry.

They rounded a patch of trees. Lily was pleased to see that her elimination was not Scott's intention; instead, he had a little table set up. The tears vanished from Lily's mind and she squeezed Scott's hand in excitement. "Oh, _Scott_!" she breathed as he pulled out her chair for her. The table was set with a candle, as well as all of her favorite foods. He smiled happily when he saw how delighted Lily was by his surprise.

If she was at home today to celebrate her sixteen years, she would be on her second piece of cake by now. She also would not have this delicious lunch set before her. He would have gotten a smashing gift from her favorite brother James—a nice new pen for her calligraphy set, or perhaps a beautiful leather-bound journal—but she would not currently be reaching across the table for the box her boyfriend was handing to her. There was a card attached.

_Lily,_ it read, _Happy Birthday. I'm so glad I get to share your sixteenth with you. I hope you enjoy your picnic and your gift, and I hope we can go a day without fighting. You mean more to me that life itself. I don't know what I would do without you. I love you so much that I ache for you when we're not together. I hate fighting with you and hurting you and I don't know why I do it. I know I'm a wanker, but you love me anyway, and I love you for that as well. Thank you for being in my life. Love, Scott._

In their fifth month of dating, Scott had told her those three words that had actually made her cry. He was so shy and sweet about admitting that he loved her. Lily took no time to return his sentiment. She had been mulling over that word "love" for quite some time, nearly a month, and had concluded that she care more about Scott than she cared about anyone. Even though that had almost literally been at each other's throats lately, that feeling had not changed.

Lily almost wanted to cry again. It looked like her birthday would not be so bad after all. When she looked up from her card, Scott was looking down at his hands, embarrassed. She smiled and unwrapped the box. Inside was a gold ring, inset with a small red stone. "They're Gryffindor colors," Scott mumbled.

Lily loved jewelry. Whenever anyone she cared about got her a heartfelt gift of jewelry, she put it on and never took it off again. The locket James gave her had been a enduring fixture to her neck for the past three years. Since her first year, Lucile had given her a different friendship bracelet for every birthday. All five of them had permanent residence on her wrist, and she was sure a sixth would be added today. She wore the charm bracelet from her parents around her ankle. They gave her charms periodically to add to its silver links.

Lunch in the Great Hall was over by the time they went inside. Lily met up with her best mate, and the two went up to Gryffindor Tower. Lucile had made the friendship bracelet herself this year. It consisted of a complicated braid of multi-colored threads. Lily knew that Lucile must have worked for hours on the intricate plait. She threw her arms around her friend, thanking her profusely for the gift.

Lily had enough drive to work on her homework assignments before dinner. If she was at home to celebrate her birthday, her parents would not have accepted this homework nonsense on her birthday. They believed that birthdays were all about fun and family. But her parents were not here. For a moment, Lily wished that she was home, before reminding herself of the wonderful lunch Scott had given her. She touched her locket out of habit. Perhaps, for Scott's birthday, she would fill the last slot with his picture.

Lucile repeatedly checked her watch whilst she finished her work. "What are you waiting for?" Lily wondered after Lucile had glanced at the timepiece for the twelfth time.

"I'm just waiting for dinner," Lucile told her without missing a beat. "I'm starving."

When dinner time finally rolled around, Lucile quickly gathered up her things and dragged Lily down the several flights of stairs to the Entrance Hall. Lily had an inkling that there was another surprise awaiting her at dinner, she just had no idea what it was. Excited fluttering began in her stomach.

She had always loved surprises. She attributed this adoration to her parents, who always sprang surprises on her and her brothers. Many of those surprises had no connection with a holiday, they just happened. One year, Albus received a puppy in the middle of July. It ran away a month later and they had never owned a pet again, but it had been a very pleasant surprise nonetheless. So far in her life, Lily had not experienced an unpleasant surprise. So far today, Lucile and Scott had helped her associate positive things with surprises. Lily hoped that this impending surprise would not change that.

"Right, now, close your eyes," Lucile told her. Wary but anxious, Lily obeyed. Lucile took hold of her friends arm and led her in the direction of the Great Hall. Lucile sat Lily in her usual seat before sitting down across form her. "Open your eyes," Lucile ordered.

Lily expected to see flowers or a piled of her favorite foods, or a cake. What she did not expect to see was nothing. Puzzled, she looked around for her surprise. She found it sitting next to her. "James!" she cried, launching herself at her older brother. She crushed him with an enormous embrace.

"Hey little sister," he greeted. "I've come to take you out to dinner." He was acquiring a bit of an American accent, Lily noted.

"It's brilliant to see you!" she exclaimed.

James led the way out of the Great Hall, Lily closely in tow, dancing on her toes from anticipation. They walked all the way to the village of Hogsmeade where James took her to a restaurant bustling with people. Lily grilled James about his life in America while they waited for a waitress to appear with their order.

"Hold on a moment, Lily," said James diplomatically. "I could have sworn that today was _your_ birthday, and therefore we should be talking about _you_, not me."

Lily knew that this was merely a clever way to start talking about Scott. "At least tell me if you have a girlfriend," she pressed.

"Someone may be occupying my apartment with me, yes," he replied evasively.

"I take it she's American, if she got you saying words like **apartment**," Lily teased. She raised an eyebrow at him in question. "What's her name?"

"Come on, Lilcifer," he whined. He always used that wretched nickname when he wanted to evade her. It usually got her to back off, but not this time, for today was her birthday.

"It's my birthday," she reminded her brother in a sing-song voice.

He looked defeated. "Jordan," he told her. Then their food arrived.

Lily took a forkful of salad and asked, "Is it serious?"

James gave her the "my-little-sister-should-not-ask-these-questions" look. "James, I am now sixteen years old. You are my brother. I tell you all of my secrets and you tell me nothing. Well, let me tell you something, I am now officially getting older and I deserve to know these things."

James looked slightly taken aback by this speech. "We've been together for a year," he told her. "So, yeah, I'd say it's quite serious."

"Do you love her?" Lily continued.

James nearly choked on his ham-on-rye. "Lily Minerva Potter!" he exclaimed. "These are not questions I expect to come from your mouth."

"I just want to know."

"Well, do you love Scott?" James retorted.

Lily felt the redness creep its way up her neck and spread onto her face. She couldn't lie to James: her head was nodding on its own accord.

"You know," said her brother," I thought I was in love with a girl when I was in school. Not that I am in any way attempting to belittle your relationship with Scott, but I found that love outside of the teenage world is something wholly different."

Lily didn't know how James expected her to react, but his sentiment made her a mite upset. To hide it, she said, "So you do love her."

It was James's turn to blush.

"Well, well, well, James and Jordan," Lily mused. Then, as a bold sixteen-year-old statement, she blurted out, "Are you guys sleeping together?"

"Lily!" James hissed, blushing furiously now. "This is where I draw the line. I refuse to answer you that."

"I take it you are," Lily said. She was trying to act adult about this, no matter how awkward this situation currently was for her. She wanted James to think that he could tell her anything. It was high time for him to start sharing things about his life with her, instead of just listening to his sister's ramblings.

"Hold on a moment," James said suddenly. "You're not shagging Scott, are you?"

"Of course I'm not!" Lily snapped.

"Well, good," James said, trying to regain his composure after Lily's unexpected inquiry.

"Even though you're twenty, James Potter, you still need to be safe," Lily scolded.

James rolled his eyes. "I will _not_ receive sex advice from my baby sister. I think this conversation stops here, Lily, whether it's your birthday or not. Change the subject."

"At any rate, you should bring this Jordan character over to the house when you visit this summer. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"Well, I'm not coming home this summer."

Lily's heart dropped into her stomach. "What do you mean you're not coming home? Do you want to avoid me just because I'm asking uncomfortable questions?"

"No, you'll still get to see me, and meet Jordan."

The bewilderment on Lily's face had to be obvious. Form under the table, James brought out a plain, white envelope and placed it in front of his sister. "Happy birthday, little sister."

Inside was a round-trip plane ticket, to and from Los Angeles, California. "You're spending the summer with me, Lilcifer."

Her heart now soaring, Lily wondered if this birthday could possibly get any better.

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	7. Year Seven, Graduation

Hooray

**Hooray! Year Seven! I don't know if I'm going to add more chapters after this one…so review and tell me what you think I should do.**

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_Year Seven, Graduation_

Lily Potter wanted to laugh, cry, scream, and collapse from exhaustion all at the same time. Emotions were tearing their way through her, refusing to stop their restless bouncing on her insides. For now, her close-fitting black dress robes were doing a great job of keeping these emotions inside of her. In one hour's time, Lily would no longer be a part of Hogwarts.

She was planning to go straight into training to become an Auror after school was officially over. Both of her parents approved of this plan, so it would be put into action as soon as possible. She had sent in her application two months ago, and was currently awaiting an answer from the training center.

Waiting was frying her nerves. Her father assured her that there was no need to worry. He had been accepted after seven years of mischief-making and less than spectacular grades. Lily reminded him of that extraordinary feat he had accomplished against the Dark Lord, but he still insisted that with her grades, they would have to accept her. She wouldn't know if he was right until next month, however.

For now, she would have to occupy her time with graduating. In less than one hour, at twelve o' clock noon, she would be walking down the aisle to a life outside of Hogwarts. She was both terrified and thrilled with this prospect. She knew nothing outside of Hogwarts, besides her family. She would have to move away from home into a flat or a dormitory. She would have to make new friends. Lucile wished to become a healer, Scott a patron for the rights of magical creatures. They would be leaving her to enter training for their respective jobs and she would be all alone. Lucile was even talking about going to Greece to pursue a career there, with Garrett.

Lily knew that Lucile harbored feelings for him, and therefore knew that this option was a good one for her. She had a suspicion that the pair would eventually get married. Still, she didn't want Lucile to leave her. Scott had broken up with her months ago, claiming that he was bored with their relationship, but he still hung out with her more than he did with anyone else. Lily still carried around a sweet, strong adoration for him, but she did not let on to it under any circumstances. His picture was still the last in her locket, where it had been placed on his last birthday. Lily just could not tell him any of this information. In an hour, they would be moving on. He would find someone else and she would eventually find someone else, too. She harbored no hopes that they would get back together—no, those hopes had faded months ago—but she still wished that he still had feelings for her. It was always nice to know that someone cared about you.

Parents, friends, and relatives were shuffling into the seats packed into the Quidditch pitch, facing an immense stage. Lily and the other graduates were gathered behind a curtain next to said stage. Lucile was getting her dress robes tailored, and Scott was off somewhere, probably saying farewell to his Ravenclaw friends.

He was leaving tomorrow to go stay with his grandparents in Paris for the summer holiday. Lily did not know when she would ever see him again. Tears began to well up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She tried to think of all the positive consequences that came with graduating. She wouldn't allow herself to cry yet. Her makeup would run. Lily poked her head out from around the heavy black curtain shielding the graduating class form their families and friends. Her parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and brothers had all managed to secure seats in the front row. She knew that she was lucky to have so many people in her life to love and support her, all sitting in the front rows. Even though they were all there, cheering her on, for the first time in her life she felt truly alone. No longer was she an eleven-year-old girl, excited to go to school, hanging on her parents' every word, shy and fretting over Potions work, and waiting for her mother to approve of her outfit. Now she was an independent young woman, about to embark into the world on her own. She would make her own meals, pay her own bills, get her own job, and do her own laundry. It was nearly time to fend for herself in that wild and magical world. She could no longer rely on her parents fro approval or full support. She was alone.

Lucile suddenly appeared beside her, shaking with anticipation. "I'm so ready for this, Lily," she said earnestly. "Let's graduate."

The professors were ushering the seventh year students up a set of stairs onto the enormous stage. Chairs were set up in rows in which the students were supposed to sit themselves alphabetically. Lucile gave Lily a quick hug before she went to take her place among the Ms. Lily filed into her own designated P seat. She saw Scott taking his place two rows behind her, and she waved at him. He smiled back in return.

The headmistress began the graduation ceremony, but Lily could not pay attention to what she was saying. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

There was James with his fiancée, Jordan. Last summer, when Lily visited them in California, she found a friend in Jordan. Jordan was a very active, attractive, upbeat woman, and was delighted to have Lily stay with them. Lily had the best summer of her life, staying with her brother and his girlfriend, despite the fact that she had to sleep on the sofa for two months. They took her shopping, to the beach, and to see all of the California sights that Lily had only seen in books.

Now, Lily was going to have Jordan as a big sister: something she had always wanted to have. She knew the Potters would be better off with Jordan in their family. James had proposed to her around Christmastime, before Mr. and Mrs. Potter had even been acquainted with the girl. Thus, the couple was spending three weeks with Lily and her parents in the Potter house. As happy as Lily was for her brother, she also realized that having more of Jordan in his life meant having less of Lily in his life as well. Sitting up there on that stage, Lily tried to come to terms with that. James, Scott, and Lucile were moving on with their lives, and Lily had to move on too. That was the whole purpose of the ceremony taking place right at this very moment. Lily touched that bulge under her dress robes where her silver locket lay. She would still keep all of her loved ones with her; they would just be with her in a different way.

The headmistress was now calling each of their names to come accept a diploma from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a few moments, Lily would officially close the Hogwarts chapter of her life and open a new chapter, full of mystery and possibility.

She knew that her family would always be there to support her, financially or emotionally, wherever her life took her. She knew that she would always be able to pick up the phone and contact Scott or Lucile or Garrett, good time or bad, with one of her problems. Yes, she would make new friends throughout her life, but she also knew that she could never be as close to anyone as she was to them. She and Scott had not only formed a romantic relationship, but a lifelong friendship.

Lucile Moore was rising to receive her certificate of graduation. Lily cheered loudly and happily for her best friend. Lucile had been with her through everything, good and bad, for the past seven years, and she would still be there for the next seventy.

She was grateful for all of the people in her life that would always be there for her, no matter what. All of those people sitting in the front row, that one in Greece, and the two sitting on the stage with her would drop what they were doing to come to her aid. She smiled when she realized this, and then her name was called.

Lily expected her heart to be fluttering with nervousness as she made the trek up to the podium, but it was fluttering with excitement instead. She was ready to move on with her life.

The headmistress shook her hand and gave her a diploma while the crowd applauded for the success of Lily Potter. Lily detected deafening cheering from the front row. She turned and smiled broadly at her family as she made her way back to her seat.

Her diploma belonged to all of those whom she loved. Without them, she did not know where she would be right now. They had all encouraged and tutored her through her seventeen years of life. She was who she was because of them.

Lily applauded thunderously for Scott Warner as his lovely body approached the podium. She caught his eye when he strode confidently back to his chair. Lily's face nearly split in two with a smile.

She knew that she would be a great big mess of tears later today when she said goodbye to Scott, although for now, she was merely immensely proud of him, not to mention Lucile. They had all made it this far, and who knew how far they would make it over the next 10, 20, 50 years?

The headmistress finished handing out diplomas while Lily sat in a sort of daze. She was no longer a student, but a woman of the world. The Potters were all through school. Lily was an adult.

Commencement was over, and they all left the stage to roaring applause. The graduates scattered across the green, summer grounds, waiting to meet their families, but Lily found Lucile first. They crushed one another with embraces.

"I love you!" Lucile exclaimed, cutting off Lily's circulation. "You'd better always be there for me, Lil, even when I'm off in Greece!"

Lily squeezed her back. "I love you, too, Lucile. You'd better not forget to phone me while you're off in Greece."

"There's no chance I could forget you, even if I wanted to!" Lucile replied. "Ooh, there's my family! I'll see you later, at the party!" Lucile ran off past Lily to meet up with her parents and sisters.

Lily scanned the crowd for her own family. She found them looking around for her as well, and rushed over to them as quickly as her dress robes would allow. Her father opened his arms to embrace her and she launched herself at him, nearly knocking him down.

Her relatives surrounded her with congratulatory remarks. She allowed them, this one last time, to ruffle her hair and call her "kiddo". However, after today, that type of behavior would not be tolerated. She was an adult now, and would expect to be treated as such.

The commotion died down around her after a few minutes, and James approached her. "Well done, little sis," he said. "Welcome to the world of the graduated. What's next?"

"You know what's next, James," she said. For some reason, she couldn't stop smiling. Who knew that graduation would feel so good?

"Auror training, right?" James said, cocking a half-smile.

"Of course…if I get accepted, that is."

"Oh, I have no doubt that you'll be accepted, Lily," James told her wisely.

"Could you kindly get to the point of this conversation? I would like to get to the party, if you don't mind."

"I know that dad's excited that you want to follow in his footsteps," James continued. "I just advise you to think long and hard about becoming an Auror. That training is a long process and you don't very well want to drop out of it in the middle. I know that no one has ever challenged your plans, so I'm doing it now. Just make sure that is absolutely what you want to do with your life. There, that's all I have to say. Have fun at the party. Oh…and congrats." He gave her a hug before walking over to his fiancée, who was waiting for him a few meters away.

Lily had been raised to make her own decisions, and her decision since she was eight years old was to become an Auror, just like her father. James was right: that plan had never been questioned. Her father was excited that his daughter wanted to follow in his footsteps, perhaps even work _with _him, and her mother had always fully supported the idea. Her main reason for choosing this profession was because she has always wanted to grow up to be just like her father. That plan had been formulated long ago and she hadn't questioned it in nine years. Until now.

Of course, there were other, fantastic reasons for becoming an Auror. These were reasons she had just never mulled over before. So, as she made her way to Hogsmeade for the graduation party, she pondered these reasons so that she could tell James that this was absolutely the career path she desired to choose. She'd show him. First of all, as an Auror, you got to work with the best of the best, the cream of the crop. Only the most talented, skilled, and sharp witches and wizards became Aurors. Secondly, she would obtain a fabulous education at the training academy. She would be respected. Dark wizards would fear her name. On the other hand, Aurors, especially ones on the lower rungs of the ladder, had to work ridiculous hours. They were given the craziest assignments. Of course, once she worked her way up, that would change. Also, she would be put in dangerous situations mostly every day. She had never handled dangerous situations before. She would have to study and work very hard, and probably have to file a lot of paperwork, especially when she started out. It would be a lot of work, but that was what she wanted to do, right?

The party was already fully underway when she arrived. Most of the graduates were in the Three Broomsticks purchasing drinks or dancing out in the streets. Loud music was pouring from the open doors. Lily searched for Scott or Lucile.

She found Scott gathered with some of his mates from Ravenclaw, a drink in his hand. They were all laughing rancorously. When Scott saw her, he broke the gathering and hurried over to her, throwing his arms around her waist.

"Hey, Lily, I didn't see you before the ceremony," he said. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations to you, too!" she laughed, hugging him back tightly. She thought their bodies fit together so well when they embraced. It felt so natural, but she let him go. She would not get lethargic today—today was a day for celebration.

"I can't believe we've graduated!" he cried. He was smiling widely, revealing all of those perfect teeth he had. Lily twirled the Gryffindor-colored ring around her finger.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," Lily said.

Scott's smile slid from his face. He set the mug in his hand down on the cobblestone and wrapped his arms tightly around her, enveloping her body into his.

Lily breathed in the smell of his dress robes deeply, the scent of him seeping into her every pore. The pressure of hot tears built up behind her eyes. She tried to stop it, but in vain. A torrent of tears burst forth from her eyes and she buried her face in Scott's chest, shaking with sobs.

"Aw, Lily," Scott sighted sympathetically, holding her close to him. "I won't be gone for long."

"Y-yes you will!" Lily cried. "I-I…I don't k-know when I'll ever see-see you again!" The tears burning paths down her face embarrassed her, but she could not quell the downpour. She was desperately sucking in air, trying to breathe, making unflattering gasping noises. "Scott, you mean s-so m-much to me, a-and I don't want to lose you!"

"Lily, baby, you're not going to lose me," he soothed. "I promise we'll see each other once I get back from Paris."

He had not called her "baby" since they broke up. That was also the last time she had cried this violently.

He waited for her sobs to subside to a dull roar before continuing. Stroking the small of her back, he said, "You're the last thing in my life that I would ever dream of losing, Lily. I can't even describe to you how lucky I feel to have you in my life. Do you remember what I wrote to you in your sixteenth birthday card? Well, that still holds true, and I don't want you to forget it. I love you, Lily, and I will always be your friend."

Those three words did not set her heart a-flutter as they used to because she knew he meant them in the way she herself had said them to Lucile half an hour ago. Still, this sentiment meant more to her than he could ever imagine.

They stood there, Lily wrapped in Scott's arms, for a few more minutes. When he kissed the top of her head, Lily knew that meant it was time for her to cheer up and go on with the day. She wiped her eyes the best that she could with her hands before emerging from the folds of his robes. Her face was most likely red, splotchy, and covered with blots of eyeliner, but she did not want to think about that at the moment. Right now, there was something she had to do.

Scott wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his finger as she began. "I feel the same way about you, Scott," she told him. "I'm so glad I got to be so close to you and that I have you in my life. No matter how far away we may end up, I want you to know that I will always be here for you and I will always abandon everything to come and visit you if you need me. You are one of the most important people in my life, and I don't want to say goodbye to you, even though I have to; even though you say we'll see one another after you get back from Paris, who knows where our lives will be by then? So before you go, I just want to tell you that I love you. I don't mean it the way you do, though. I mean I'm in love with you. I still am, and I always will be. You will always be my first love." Then she leaned her tear-stained face towards him and kissed him softly. She expected no response from him, but to her surprise, he kissed her back.

Congratulations.

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	8. Age Eighteen, Leaving

**Well, The Potter's Daughter is continuing by popular demand. Happy Halloween everyone! I'll be trick-or-treating as Hermione tonight. Have a great day and remember to review!**

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_Age Eighteen, Leaving_

At least she was moving out of her parents' house. So far, she had failed at everything since graduation. Today, Lily had a chance to redeem herself a tiny bit.

Auror training had not been her calling after all. A letter of acceptance did arrive by owl, just as everyone predicted, along with an enormous packet of information about training and the responsibilities of an Auror. This packet fed the doubt that had manifested when James had questioned her career choice. Thus, she should have started training already; moved into a dorm, received a roommate and training schedule. She hadn't, though. Instead, she had secured a full-time job in a book store in Glasgow, and was moving there forthwith.

Her parents had found her an adorable flat above a bakery to settle into.

Lily could not, under any circumstances, afford to rent this place out, but her parents insisted on paying the rent for her until she earned some money. Lily felt guilty about the whole situation, but her parents did not want her to live in a cheap little apartment full of bugs and peeling wallpaper.

Lily closed the flaps on the last cardboard box and taped them together to prevent all of her shoes from falling out. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Packing was hard work. She had been completing this task for the last day and a half at high speed, and now she was finished. Her parents had been packing all of her luggage into a truck since early this morning. The three of them were going to drive to Glasgow together.

Since she graduated, up until a month following her eighteenth birthday, she had held a job at the local library, under the librarian, learning her skills. That job procured a more sophisticated grasp of the English language and skills in library science. It also put a few Galleons in her pocket, but it wasn't enough. She should, by now, have nearly a year of Auror training under her belt, preparing her for a secure income and a job that she knew would be there for her for the rest of her life. Sadly, her life was not going as planned.

The box of shoes was too heavy for her to lift so she pulled her wand from her pocket and levitated the package down the winding staircase and out the front door.

"Goodbye, house," she whispered as she followed the box outside and down the concrete steps to the moving van.

She had obtained her driver's license a few months ago, but she sat forlornly in the magically enlarged back seat of the van, allowing her parents to baby their little girl, their last child, while she was still technically under their roof. Lily watched her parents' faces as her father started the car and they began their journey to her new flat on Calgary Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Her mother was very obviously fighting back a torrent of tears, while her father spouted out useless advice merely to fill the air in the car with something besides nostalgia.

He fell short after a while, Lily now staring out the car window. She breathed onto the cool glass, drawing a smiling face in the condensation she had created. She contemplated it for a moment, watching the countryside flash by in the clear mouth of the face. With the side of her hand, she erased the smiling mouth; breathing on the window again and replacing it with a wavy line.

Lily wanted to be happy to be leaving, but, in all honesty, she was both terrified and sad. She loved living with her parents. She loved having them around all the time.

In a way, yes, she was ready to leave, as she had been at graduation time. All of her classmates had been making something of themselves since Hogwarts, and here she was, still living at home and acquiring skills in English and library science. Lucile was off in Greece, now living with Garrett and going to school to become a healer. Scott was off having a grand time in Edinburgh, Scotland, working with Bundimun and Dugbogs. Garrett was busy attempting to open his own art studio while holding a full-time job at a greeting card company.

And where was Lily's life?

She allowed a little excitement about her move filter in through the dread. Living alone would be fun. She could get a fresh pastry every day from the bakery she would live above, and she could finally begin the book she had been getting an urge to write.

Living alone would give her more freedom, which was also a good thing. She just did not fancy being lonely and without a constant support system. However, she no longer wanted to be a burden on her parents. Her brothers had both moved out, and now it was her turn.

Her mother was speaking to her. "Now be careful of the people, namely men, you bring back to your apartment, sweetie," she told Lily. "I don't want you getting yourself into any trouble. Get to know people before you give out any of your personal information. Mr. and Mrs. Mendlesson agreed to keep an eye on you."

That was just what Lily wanted: two elderly bakers reporting her every move back to her mother. That would make it rather difficult to acquire a beau, which was on the top of her priority list once she was settled into her new lifestyle.

As was expected, nothing had become of Lily and Scott after their graduation kiss. He had left for Paris the next day and only stopped back in England for a week before heading off to Scotland to begin his career. They had never spoken of the kiss after its occurrence, and Lily was not planning on speaking about it any time in the near future.

In his last letter, Scott told her of his new girlfriend, Maddy. Apparently, it was nothing serious, but Lily was angry when she felt the twinge of jealousy at this news. Clearly, Scott was completely over her and moving on with his life. Lily needed to follow in his footsteps very shortly.

It would be fun to leave alone, she decided. She would mostly support herself and provide for herself. She could have over whomever she wished, she could invite boys, no, _men_, back to her flat. She could eat whatever she wanted from the refrigerator at any time of the night. She could wear what she chose without her mum informing her that her outfit does not match. It would be an adventure, living alone would. She would make it an adventure.

Lily must have fallen asleep staring out the window at the quickly passing scenery, because the next thing she knew was the bright sign of Mendlesson's Bakery, four hours later. The grey stone floor with two front windows sitting above the sign must be her flat. Her heart rate increased. This was the moment.

"Wake up Lilykins, we're here," her mother told her, using her old nickname. It sounded as if she was trying to be cheery, but the tremor in her voice gave her sadness away.

Lily got out of the car and stretched loudly and languidly. As soon as Mrs. Potter stepped from the car, she captured her daughter in a stifling embrace. Her father began to unload suitcases and boxes from the truck and take them into the bakery. Lily and her mother followed with more luggages.

When James had moved out, Lily had been the one saddest to see him go. She believed that her parents were almost happy for their eldest to leave home because their house was always so full of activity and they were ready for one of their children to move out. Lily had cried over his departure for a week, while her parents nearly began plans to move Albus out of the house immediately after graduation.

As it turned out, two years later they were not as keen to see him go. Albus was the favorite child of Mr. Potter because he had always been, more or less, the black sheep. Lily had not shed a single tear when he left to seek a flat with a roommate.

By the time Lily's graduation occurred, her parents were not so eager to let their last child leave. They mostly supported Lily's decision not to attend Auror School and willingly allowed her to remain at home for over a year. Her mother loved mothering and her father loved to be a role model. Lily, however, not longer loved to be a child. She had prolonged the leap into adulthood long enough.

The flat had four rooms: a bedroom, kitchen, living area, and loo. The kitchen was equipped with utilities, and there were cable cords protruding from the wall in the far corner of the living room. The bedroom was a decent size; it had enough space for Lily's queen-sized bed, and that was all she cared about.

Her parents prolonged moving in her furniture as long as possible so that they did not have to leave their daughter. The sun was very low in the sky when they finally set the last end table in place. The flat was bathed in twilight because none of the lamps had been plugged into the electrical sockets.

Lily had always wanted to live in a Muggle area. Her job at the bookstore was in the Wizarding part of town, but her residence was in a neighborhood of Muggles. Muggles had always fascinated her (her mother told her that she took after her grandfather in that way), and now she would finally have a change to live among them, using electricity and not using magic in plain sight. Her father had always kept the family emerged in the magical world, save for the use of mobile phones, because he had grown up with the worst kind of Muggles. He associated everything good in his life with the magical world, despite the pain it had caused him in the past. Lily would be living in a completely new environment, in a totally new city, without a constant support system.

When her parents would delay their departure no longer, they approached their daughter for farewell squeeze. When Lily pulled away from them, she found tears were streaming down her face.

"We'll come and see you next weekend to make sure you're settling in all right," her mother said.

"Call us if you need _anything_," her father reminded her. "We're only seven hours away—less with my pull at the Floo Network.

"We love you, darling. I'll phone you every day. Good luck."

Tears were not inhibiting themselves as Lily watched her parents walk through the door of her new flat that was all her own.

At least she was closer to Scott this way. Her flat was only an hour from his on Dublin Street in Edinburgh. He would help her. She hadn't seen him in nearly a year and she missed him terribly. He traveled the countryside mostly, where magical creatures dwelled. He mainly studied around Lochs, though his company's offices were located in Edinburgh. Lily wondered if he wanted to see her as much as she was dying to see him. She currently had the yearning to receive a hug from him. Scott had always given fantastic hugs. That would be just the thing to cheer her up right now. Retrieving her mobile phone from the pocket of her cardigan, she dialed his number. The call rang through to his voicemail. Lily tried not to allow the tremble in her voice to transfer into the message she left for him.

"Hey, it's me…Lily. I've just moved into my new flat…you know…the one an hour away from you? I told you I was moving today, right? Well, anyhow, I was just thinking about you and I…" she tried to make up some lame excuse to tell him… "I wanted some unpacking advice. So um, call me if you feel like doing so." She closed the mobile and collapsed onto the floor. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow. Right now, she was entirely too tired to do anything. Her eyelids closed on their own accord and she began to drift off to sleep.

She was utterly alone.

An annoying, high-pitched, nearly musical noise awoke her from her slumber. Arising from the floor, she rubbed her eyes, trying to ascertain where the sound originated. It appeared to be coming from the door. Ah, the doorbell. The message that someone was ringing her doorbell took a moment to register in her brain; when it did, she took the few steps needed to reach the door and pulled it open, assuming to see the Mendlessons checking up on her.

Scott stood in the doorway, Chinese food containers in hand. The cobwebs of sleep immediately cleared from Lily's head, and she pitched herself at him. "SCOTT!" she cried. "I can't believe you're here! Come in, come in."

He set the food on a lamp-laden table and took in his surroundings. "So this is your new place, is it?" he said, reaching his hand out and putting a stray lock of Lily's hair back in its proper place.

"Why yes it is," she replied. "I obviously haven't done much; I've been sleeping since I phoned you."

"Sorry I didn't answer," he said. "I was getting my car started. I've just come from a site to help you unpack."

Lily's face fell into a loving, gracious grin. "I love you, Scott. Thank you so much. I obviously need help here."

Ever since she had told him that she was still in love with him last year, he always appeared to feel awkward when she told him she loved him over the phone. He appeared that way now, but tried to play it off.

"I figured that I haven't seen you in a year, so this was the best time to rectify that."

"Well, have a seat. Stay a while. Unpacking can wait until later. Tell me about everything."

Lily's boxes gradually emptied and furniture progressively moved as the night went on. The Chinese food disappeared and Lily's head ended up on Scott's lap for a good night's sleep.

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	9. Age Nineteen, Fire

**The chapters keep getting longer and longer. I hope you don't mind. Enjoy.**

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_Age Nineteen, Fire_

Lily Potter's flat was on fire. Smoke was pouring from the bedroom. Flames were spreading across the carpeted floor, lighting everything in their path. Lily was crawling frantically along the floor, purse in hand, trying to get to the front door through the thick, black smoke. Rules on fire safety were scrolling through her head. She was trying not to breathe. Blood pounded loudly in her head. She had to get out.

It felt like an age had passed by the time she reached the door and pushed her way out of the flat. The doorknob was hot, but she didn't have the time to notice. She raced down the steps to the bakery. Part of the bakery ceiling had fallen, and the flames lingering on the plaster were attempting to spread their way across the linoleum floor. Lily ran, stumbling and coughing, out the glass front door and into the street, were a crowd was gathered. A fire truck had just parked outside and the men in it began to ready their water hose. The elderly Mendlessons were huddled together by the side of the road. A firefighter rushed to Lily's aid before she collapsed. He caught her limp body just as the world went dim. She was still clutching her purse.

When she awoke, she found she was lying in the back of an ambulance stationed on her street. The Mendlessons were standing on either side of her stretcher. Her hand was wrapped in a bandage and her throat hurt.

It took a few moments for her to remember why she was currently laying in the back of an ambulance. When she recalled what had happened, she sat up quickly, crying, "How's my flat?" The pain caught up with her after a few seconds and she winced. She voice was hoarse from smoke inhalation.

"They've put out the fire, dear," Mrs. Mendlesson said timidly. "We can't go back inside for a few days."

Lily flopped back onto her stretcher, the news weighing upon her. The quaint flat above the bakery had been her home for the last year. In this time, Lily had purchased furniture, wall hangings, and paint to redo the bedroom. Paint was not flame retardant. Her parents were supposed to come and stay the weekend next week to help paint the bedroom ocean blue. Now the bedroom and paint were gone. The bedroom was where she thought the smoke started, but she couldn't be sure. Everything had happened so fast. At least she had managed to grab her purse before escaping; it contained all of her cash, her identification cards, her bank cards, the beginnings of her manuscript, and other important personal items. She had to call her parents to tell them about this. She needed someone to be there to support her besides the Mendlessons, as nice as they may be.

"I need to call my parents," she said. She swallowed a few times, trying to bring her voice back. She wondered if her lungs would be black forever from the horrible smoke that she breathed for who knows how long.

"The nice firefighter will be over in a minute to talk to you, dear," Mrs. Mendlesson said. "Mr. Mendlesson has called your parents. They're on their way here."

When Lily was seven, she had accidentally lit the curtains in the ballroom on fire with her father's wand. The flames had only progressed up the curtain before her mother managed to quell them. Lily never associated fire with danger because of the way her parents treated the situation; they did not yell or chide her for the fault. They merely made sure she was sage, mended the curtain, and took her out for ice cream. Instead of developing a fear of fire from that day, she actually came to love watching fires spring to life. She was always the person to start the fires in the fireplace. She liked to light matches and watch them burn. After this experience, however, Lily decided that she would stay away from fire for a long while.

The "nice firefighter" Mrs. Mendlesson mentioned approached the stationary ambulance and came to stand beside Lily. She felt somewhat awkward lying down while he stood above her, but that couldn't be helped at the moment because it was painful to move. He informed her that she would not be able to move back in until after they determined what started the fire. Even after they determined the cause, she was advise to wait to move back in until all necessary repairs were made because most of the flat was burnt to a crisp. She might have to may for the damages, she learned, unless they could prove that there was something faulty in the flat. All of these damages could take many months to fix. She would not be living in her flat for many months.

"Is anything left?" Lily asked the firefighter hesitantly. She was afraid of the answer.

"I'm sorry miss, but only a lamp and your sofa are intact, though they were damaged by the smoke."

Gone. Everything was gone. Lily felt sick. Her head was spinning. Her bandaged hand was throbbing. She needed to sleep some more and deal with all of this later. Where was she going to live? How was she to survive now? Would she have to move back with her parents? What was going to happen to her now? She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and keep from hyperventilating. Sporadic, colored spots appeared in the blackness of the insides of her eyelids. Luckily, darkness overcame her again.

The second time she awoke, the Mendlessons were not standing by her side. Instead, Scott—her knight in shining armor, her hero—was perched in a chair by her bedside. His presence immediately made everything seem better. "Hey," he said quietly, smiling at her.

His smile was so comforting.

"Your mum called me and asked if I could come be with you until they could get here. Tim's on his way, as well."

Babel's Books, where Lily held a rather nice job, was apart of a line of cute shops. Tim Little worked in the one next to Babel's; a hardware store where he had procured a job two years ago. He and Lily had met one night when their shifts had ended at the same time, and they exited their respective jobs at the same moment, almost literally running into one another. The five minute conversation they held on that sidewalk led to a cup of coffee down the street, then to dinner. They had officially been dating for seven months.

I'm so sorry about your place, Lil," Scott continued. "You must be devastated. I know how much you loved your flat."

Lily pulled herself up onto her elbows so that she rested in a half-sitting position. This was less painful than fully sitting up. "I grabbed my purse, so at least I have the really important stuff," she said. Her voice sounded a little better now. "I just lost my favorite pillow, and my calligraphy set, and my favorite sweatshirt and…" Tears were welling up in her eyes as the list of burned items flashed in her mind. All of her belongings were gone. At least she had her manuscript.

"Aw, Lil," Scott said sympathetically, standing and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "It'll all be okay. You can come and live with me, if you want to. I'll sleep on the couch for a few months, that's no big deal."

Lily sniffed, touched by his constant kindness. "Thanks for the offer, Scott, but I don't think that would work too well."

"I don't think so either. If she should move in with anyone, it should be me." Tim stepped into the ambulance, sounding rather defensive. Scott took his arm from Lily's shoulders immediately.

Tim had had a problem with Scott from the moment Lily first mentioned his name. He knew that Scott and Lily had dated during school, and he was suspicious of Scott's motives. Scott and Lily were around one another whenever they could be, and Tim did not keep his loathing of this arrangement a secret. He had never told Lily to stay away from Scott, because he knew how much Scott meant to her, but he insinuated it many times. Lily cared about Tim a great deal, but not enough to cut down on her time with Scott. Also, Tim was not a wizard, as far as Lily knew. Therefore, she was not comfortable with telling him everything about her life.

"Hey, baby, how're you doing? I can't believe this happened." Tim's tone was considerably softer now, as he crossed the ambulance and gave Lily the best hug he could without hurting her. He kissed the top of her head. "You're not hurt, are you Lily?"

Lily waved her bandaged hand in answer to his question. "I think I burnt it on my doorknob," she said.

"I'm going to check with the ambulance blokes and see what I need to do for you," Tim said affectionately. He kissed Lily on the head again and left her sight.

"You know, if you were in a Wizard hospital right now, you would've been all fixed up an hour ago," Scott said.

Something Scott had a problem with was Lily's new Muggle co-habitation. He had never been interested in Muggles, and didn't understand how Lily could live with them. His biggest quandary was with the fact that she was dating a Muggle, and considering getting serious with him. Scott believed in honesty, and claimed that Lily's whole relationship with Tim was a lie. Lily's mother had somewhat of the same philosophy. She had been very protective of Lily since she moved away from home, and did not trust any boy that Lily had mentioned over the telephone. Lily's parents had yet to meet Tim, but that meeting would happen today, since they were on their way to her ambulance from London right now. Lily cared a great deal for Tim, and hoped that their relationship would last for a while. Eventually, she would reveal her witch secret to him, and she hoped that when the time came, he would receive the information well.

For now, all he could do to show he cared for her was to take her to his flat, which is what he did. Scott insisted on joining them, at least for a little while, to help get Lily situated. He did not trust Tim with "his favorite girl".

Lily hated it when Scott used these terms of endearment towards her. Getting over Scott had been no small feat, and when he called her things such as "his favorite girl" it reminded her of those feelings that were not entirely suppressed. Not to mention it made Tim extremely irritated. Thus, Tim reluctantly allowed Scott to accompany them back to his flat. The boys were adamant about carrying Lily to Tim's car, and then into his flat and into a bed. They continued to fuss over her while Lily ran through the long list of lost items in her head once again.

Over the past year, many things in her life had changed. It was surprisingly easy to settle into her new flat in a new town. The Mendlesson's were more helpful than she expected them to be, and they gave her free pastries every morning. She and Scott saw one another nearly every weekend. Her job started off well, and just continued to get better as the year progressed. Lily had been comfortable with her life away from home, until today, when she lost her new home.

Tim came into his bedroom to talk to her after he expelled Scott from his flat, giving him the job of going back to Lily's burnt place and seeing what damage had been assessed. "I brought you some tea," he told her soothingly, handing her a cup and sitting down upon the edge of the bed.

"Thanks," Lily muttered, taking the hot drink in her undamaged hand.

"How are you doing, baby?" he asked.

"I'm all right, I suppose," she said, sipping her tea. The enormous file of loss was still scrolling through her head. She kept replaying the mad dash out of her flaming flat over and over in her mind's eye.

"If you want to, you can stay here with me until they fix your flat," he offered. "I'm here for you in any way you need me to be."

Lily was not exactly fond of the idea of living with her boyfriend, even though it was the situation that made the most sense. Tim lived the closest to Lily's job and now-crispy flat, whereas Scott and her parents did not. Still, she had never lived with a boy before that wasn't her brother. Tim would also probably suggest Lily's sleeping in his bed with him, which she was completely uncomfortable with. All of these happenings were much too much for her emotions to handle at the moment. Her unhurt hand fiddled with the silver locket at her throat while she answered Tim timidly, "Um…can I think about it for a little while?"

"Of course, darling, whatever you need."

"Thanks," Lily said. "Are you nervous?" she asked suddenly. "About meeting my parents, I mean."

"To be honest, I hadn't even thought of it," Tim replied. "But, now that you mention it, I am rather scared."

Smiling, Lily set her tea down on the nightstand and slid further under the blankets. She wished she had pajamas on, but she was too exhausted to really care at the moment. She lay down and closed her eyes, wanting all of this mess to be a horrible dream.

Sadly, it wasn't. She was reminded of this when she awoke for the third time that day. Tim was getting out of bed from his position next to her to answer the front door, where someone was knocking. Lily soon found out who was knocking when her parents swept into the bedroom, bombarding her with love and inquiries. Lily's hand was throbbing terribly, but she tried to ignore it.

The last time Lily had been showered with this much affection was two months ago, when she went to visit Lucile and Garrett for a few days. It had been nearly a year since she had last seen Lucile, and nearly three since she had seen Garrett. Lucile especially had been ecstatic to see her. She and Garrett, though they were living together, were still refraining from dating, though Lily gathered from subtle hints that they both wanted something more. She knew it would eventually develop; it was now just a question of when this would happen. Her parents' fawning over her reminded her of the fluttering way Lucile had acted a couple of months ago. She had to call Lucile about the fire.

"So, we've talked to the firemen, Lilykins, and they're still assessing the damage, but it looks like you won't have to pay for anything because there was something faulty in the heating or wiring or something. James is on his way from San Francisco, as well," her mother rattled. Then she leaned close to her daughter and whispered, so that Tim would not hear, "We Flooed to Scott's house and drove from there."

Tim stood nervously in the bedroom doorway. Scott, who had come in with her parents, was standing by Mr. Potter. The two of them were deciding how they could best manage Lily's current situation. Lily determined that this would probably be a good time to introduce Tim to her parents, seeing as they were currently occupying his house. She interrupted her mother's fawning. "Mum, Dad, I want you to meet Tim." With her good hand, she beckoned Tim over to her. "I know these really aren't ideal conditions to meet under, however, I suppose that can't very well be helped. Tim, these are my parents, Harry and Ginny Potter. Mum, Dad, this is Tim Little."

Tim offered up a nervous smile under Mr. Potter's scrutinizing gaze. Out of the coner of her eye, Lily saw Scott smirking at Tim's misfortune.

"It's…er…very nice to finally meet you," Tim offered. "Lily talks about you all the time."

"I wish we were meeting under happier circumstances, son," her father said, attempting to sound intimidating.

"Oh, Harry, stop being mean to the poor boy, especially when our daughter has just gone through something so terrible. She does not need any more stress."

At forty-seven, Lily's mother was as vivacious as the Ginny in the stories Lily heard from her father. Her fiery hair had no signs of gray in it, nor did her fiery personality. She was a force to reckon with, that was for sure. Under her stubborn, commanding exterior, however, was a mother who Lily loved dearly. She was agreeable and lovely. This is the side she was currently exposing to her daughter's new boyfriend, and for that, Lily was grateful.

"Don't listen to him, Tim," Mrs. Potter continued. "He's harmless. Now, what can we do for you, Lily darling?"

As Lily was about to open her mouth to speak, there came a pounding at the front door of the flat once more. Tim quickly went to answer it, obviously happy to get away from the awkwardness he experienced around Lily's parents. Tim was not the first person back, however. To Lily's great surprise, Garrett and Lucile rushed into the room. Lucile flung herself upon Lily's sore body, crushing her with embraces and kisses. "LILY! ARE YOU OKAY? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED! WE CAME AS SOON AS SCOTT CALLED US!" she cried loudly, not concerned with the fact that there were many other people in the room.

"Hey, Lily," Garrett greeted from the corner. "How are you?"

Tim reentered the bedroom, clearly confused at what was happening.

There Lily was, surrounded by everyone she loved, sans James, who was on his way. Maybe the fire was not so horrible after all. Love always made everything better.

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	10. Age Twenty, Fame

**Thank you to **SkyeVerya, respitechristopher, Hermione09Weasley, iim asia, armywife012205, SingingBird812, **and **Lily Hermione Potter **for your wonderful reviews**. **Enjoy.**

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_Age Twenty, Fame_

Though many offers had been made throughout his life, Harry Potter never allowed anyone to write a biography about his life. Some had tried, and a few unofficial books had emerged onto the shelves, but none were licensed, and no one had ever obtained an official interview with the legend himself in the context of writing a biography. Accomplished and prominent writers had been rattling at Harry Potter's door for years, but all efforts were in vain. He would permit no one a conference; no one except his daughter.

The last part of Lily's manuscript had been completed after formally speaking with her father about a few aspects of his life. The rest of her book she had complied of stories from her mother, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron and various other relatives, as well as tales she heard as she was growing up. Her father read over the manuscript after it was completed, and then it was sent to the printer as the first authorized biography of Harry Potter.

Naturally, it was received extremely well, and made Lily even more thankful that her first draft had escaped the flames that had engulfed her flat last year. It only took a week for _The Golden One_ to climb to the top of the bestseller list. It only took a week for Lily to make more money than the insurance agency had to give her for the faulty electrical wiring in her flat. It only took a week for Lily Potter to become nearly as famous as her father. Clearly, no one in the wizarding world had forgotten the heroic feat of The-Boy-Who-Lived.

The phone in her newly-renovated flat had been ringing off the hook for two months now. Lily was wanted for radio shows and guest appearances, book signings and photo shoots. Somehow, these annoying people had gotten through her publisher and would not rest until Lily agreed to reply positively to their respective invitations.

Tim did not understand why his girlfriend was suddenly so tied up with phone calls. He could, of course, not understand, because he still did not know that Lily was a witch. Lily did not love him, and therefore never found an opportunity to let him in on her secret. Tim determined that she was hiding something from him, but she feigned innocence in the entire situation. Thus, her second serious relationship ended.

She had been dating Tim for almost a year, and was sad to see him go, but she did not feel for him the way she had felt for Scott. She could not trust him with her secrets, and he was not there for her whenever she needed him to be. True, he had offered his flat to her for six months while her own flat was being repaired and he had even occupied the sofa while she slept in his bed. He had shared his life completely for her, as if they were married, nearly, for six months, and yet she still did not love him. She had never told him so. He had admitted it once, three months ago, but had dropped the subject immediately when she did not reply. Guilt had only set in to Lily's conscience when he began to avoid calling her pet names, as he so loved to do. It was good, she felt, that they had broken up. It was good that Tim had ended their relationship so that she did not have to work up the courage to do so herself.

Now fame filled the hole Tim had occupied previously. He had never occupied the same space in her heart that Scott had, and he never would. Lily's relationship with Tim was a different kind of connection. She knew that they would not be friends after their breakup. This made her sad, but it was a fact of her life that she was willing to accept. She had to come to terms with it quickly, because fame descended upon her like a vulture upon a dead gazelle. The press was vicious and unyielding.

Fame was not all bad, however. No, Lily was actually rather enjoying the success of her book. Her picture was plastered across newspapers across the world, which was incredible. Her book was in the window of every wizarding book store she had passed in the last month. Fan letters were filling her publisher's office. The biographies were flying off of the shelves faster than they could be printed. Translations into fifty different languages were currently in motion. Lily had never dreamt of this magnitude of fame. Not to mention the fortune that came with this fame. She was currently brainstorming ideas to funnel her money into a charitable cause.

Her father was on the fence with his feelings about this burst of fame for his daughter. All of this was caused because of his life. He had known that people had wanted to produce an account of his life, but he thought that because it had been so many years since he had defeated Voldemort no one would care so much anymore. He was obviously wrong.

Lily had to quit her job at the bookstore because too much of her time was being occupied going to other places. Her publisher had gotten her an agent to manage all of the events she had to attend. Lily's days were hurrying by. Each appearance was increasing her fame. Her closet contained an entirely new wardrobe of suits and classy dresses. Her publisher assured her that it would not be long before she was invited to all of the prestigious wizarding events.

Lily's head was spinning from everything that had been happening for the past two months. She did not know how long her fame would last, however, so she was planning on enjoying every moment of it, despite the fact that time for her friends had been very limited as of late. Her first reading in the largest wizarding bookstore in the UK was occurring in two hours. Important members of the press would be there. She had decided when it was scheduled a week ago that her friends would be invited. Thus, she had spent some of the money that was pouring in on train tickets and plane tickets for her friends to attend.

A stylist was currently working on "the mess" that was her hair. Lily had tried to take no offense when her hair was dubbed a mess. At the beginning of the appearance frenzy, her mother had taken her shopping for the new wardrobe she now owned. She had also taken her daughter to the hair salon to receive highlights and a new haircut, not to mention visiting the dentist to get her teeth whitened, as per the instructions of her agent. The stylist, however, did not find this sufficient. She insisted on having Lily's fingernails shaped and painted, her hair filled with products Lily did not know the names of, and her face coated in make-up that her skin was not used to. When she looked in the mirror when the stylist finished attacking her, Lily appeared as a completely different person than the one that had sat down in the chair an hour previous.

An escort led her from the stylist's trailer behind the bookstore through the back entrance of the shop. He carried an umbrella to protect her newly-perfected hair from the wind. The situation was laughable, but Lily's heart was beating too hurriedly in her chest for her to release a chuckle. The readings and personal appearances she had held so far were minor. She had done readings in small shops and inns, but this was the sign that her fame was really growing wings and taking off.

As soon as Lily walked through the bookshop's back door in her new blue, summery dress, the applause nearly ruptured her eardrums. Her heart was competing with the noise of the clapping. The nervousness was threatening to overwhelm her. The urge to touch the locket around her neck was trying to take over her hand. Instead, she clutched the copy of _The Golden One. _She refrained from breaking her faux-calm, cool demeanor. Her newly whitened smile was now plastered on her face. Hoping her nervousness was not showing, she waved her hand at the enormous crowd gathered to hear her, Lily Potter, read an excerpt from her biography. Hundreds of people were crowded into the book store, all standing below a raised platform on which Lily now stood. A regal armchair was placed on the middle of the stage. Lily surmised that was where she was supposed to sit, so that is where she headed, still waving at the crowd. Scott, James, Jordan, Garrett, Lucile, Albus, Albus' girlfriend, her mother, her father, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, cousins Rose, Fred, Victorie and Hugo, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Uncle George, Uncle Percy, Teddy, Grandma Weasley, Grandpa Weasley, and Uncle Charlie were standing nearly right against the stage. Lily also spotted some of the friends she had created in the past year. Lights were trained upon her, and it was slightly difficult to see past their smiling faces and into the individual faces of the rest of the crowd. She lifted the heavy book into her lap, turned to the first page, and opened her mouth to begin. The mass of people in the audience fell silent as she began.

"Chapter One: The Legacy. Years before I was born, Harry James Potter, The Golden One, The-Boy-Who-Lived, defeated the most evil wizard that ever existed. No other wizard alive could parallel the power of Lord Voldemort and challenge his horrific reign of terror…"

The owner of the enormous bookstore had requested that she read an excerpt from each chapter of her book, so this is what she did over the next hour and a half. No one knew this, but Lily practiced for readings whenever she received the chance. She dreaded opening her book and stumbling over the words she herself put onto the page. Nightmares of this sort manifested themselves at night. Many times Lily woke up in a sweat, stressed and full of worry. Today, however, at her breakout book-reading, she did not fumble across one word. The passion she had found when writing her father's biography came back as she read the selections to the large audience. Occasionally, she glanced up at her loved ones for encouragement. Her mother appeared captivated, her father slightly self-conscious about his life's story being read to the multitudes. Tears were glittering in Lucile's eyes (this was the first of Lily's appearances she and Garrett had attended), and Garrett's chest was swelling with pride. Scott was merely staring at her, enthralled. When she met his eye, he smiled encouragingly and brilliantly at her.

When the reading was over, Lily exited through the door she had entered to the same thunderous applause she had experienced an hour and a half ago. A table at the front of the large Edinburgh bookstore was erected for Lily to sit at for the next few hours and sign autographs. She was led around the outside of the store and back in the front door to avoid wading through the crowds. A line had already formed in front of the table.

This was another part of fame Lily had practiced for: signing autographs. She had perfected the swoop of the _L_, the curve of the _P_. In all honesty, she rather enjoyed signing autographs, especially for children. There were not many children that attended her readings because the biography was geared towards an older audience. Still, there were young die-hard fans of Harry Potter, thus there were die-hard fans of his daughter. Lily always personalized the autographs to the children that eagerly handed their sheets of paper or copies of her book across the table to Lily's waiting pen.

The last wave of autographs she had to sign included ones for her friends and family. They had lingered so that they could escort her home after the extravaganza, which they did. Scott was holding a party at his flat in celebration. Lily's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents left soon after the festivities began to go back to the hotel where they were staying. As soon as they filed out the door, Scott broke out the real party favors: alcohol and annoyingly loud music. Lily had not gotten to spend time with her cousins, brothers, and best friends like this for years. She completely let herself go. A drink was in her hand before she could walk to the alcohol table. She had not been able to have fun since this fame business began, so this was her chance.

She had not been able to catch up with her relations in a very long time. They were each congratulating her for the sixth time in rather drunken tones by the time midnight rolled around. Victorie and Teddy were caressing one another on the sofa. Garrett and Lucile were dancing in front of the loud, booming speakers. Some of Lily's new wizarding friends were conversing with her cousins. James and his long-time fiancée were making out on the kitchen counter. Lily was currently laughing with Rose and Fred, yet another alcoholic beverage of some sort in her hand. Tipsy was not a great word to describe her present situation. Lily never drank in excess, but tonight was a great celebration with the ones she cared about and who were there to commemorate her recent success.

Scott was suddenly at her elbow, pulling her away from her cousins and into his bedroom. He looked slightly frazzled as he pulled her into a haphazard hug. Clearly, he was even more intoxicated than Lily. "Listen, Lily, I-I just wanted to tell you how fucking proud I was of you today when you were-were reading up there. I mean…when I just saw you up there, _reading_, I was just…I couldn't believe it. You-you're _amazing_ Lily, I'm telling you. You're so, so talented."

"Thanks, Scott. You're so sweet. You're amazing too." Lily beamed unnecessarily. Her head spun, then, and she collapsed onto the bed, giggling. "Can you believe how famous I am, Scott? It's incredible."

"It's fucking fantastic!" Scott exclaimed, crashing down next to her. "You're…wow, Lily. Wow."

Lily rested her now-empty bottle on the floor and made herself comfortable on the bed with a sigh. Her blue dress was wrinkled now, and there was a run down her tights, but she wasn't concerned about that now. What she was concerned with was the fact that she was lying in Scott's bed. She was concerned with the fact that he was spooning her from behind, burying his drunken face in her hair.

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**Push the little button…**


	11. Age Twenty One, Engagement

**Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you enjoy your turkey day if you're of the American variety, and if not, celebrate anyhow.**

**And don't forget to review!**

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_Age Twenty One, Engagement_

Lily Potter was on a worldwide tour. The biography she had penned on the life of her father was now translated into over fifty languages and was being sold in over one hundred countries worldwide. Lily's first stop on this year-long marathon tour just happened to be Greece, where two of her best friends lived. For a week she would be in Greece, traveling from cities to small towns. From Greece she would be going to Italy. From there it was across Europe, then into Asia and the other continents. Already, she was tired, and it was merely the first day. She was traveling by tour bus across all of these countries. When she was going to go overseas, the bus would be flown across the ocean. The first reading that was on her tour had occurred this morning. Now, she was exhausted of the emotional rollercoaster that was the last week. She was sitting in a Grecian café overlooking the beautiful clear-blue Mediterranean. Lucile and Garrett were supposed to be meeting her here, but they were late. Lily was lazily sipping an espresso. She needed to wake up and have energy for the photo shoot she had to attend tonight. Her agent Marcy had only given her three hours to frolic outside of the hotel room, and she had planned on spending them with her friends, not waiting for them alone at a table. The last time she had seen Garrett and Lucile was last year, at the celebratory party Scott had thrown for her at her big reading. She checked her watch for the third time since she had entered the café. Her three hours were whittling down to two and a half.

This world tour had come on quite suddenly. One day, she had been perfectly content signing autographs at charity benefits, and the next she was on a tour bus to Greece, her agent setting up more tour dates as the minutes wore on. Lily was trying to be excited about this, but her relationship with Scott had just been veering towards a little more than friends as it had six years ago. Now she wouldn't be able to see him for nearly a year. The very thought made her want to cry. He had only been able to keep one semi-serious relationship since their graduation from Hogwarts, and it seemed that he had given up all together as of late. Since that night a year ago when they had slept in his bed together, it seemed that the dynamics of their relationship were beginning to change back to the way they were in Hogwarts. The flirting rate had increased, and he had been frequenting her personal appearances and her flat, whenever she had the free time to actually live in her flat. She was not getting her hopes up, however, in case nothing happened between them. Scott was always good at moving on, and Lily was fairly sure that is what he had done from her. She figured that he was becoming closer to her because he needed a good friend. He had not been having much luck in love, so Lily was a fair substitute. This was the rationale she was sticking with until Scott confirmed otherwise.

Lily's personal assistant, Grace, was sitting at a table across the room. Grace was a quiet but assertive girl, about Lily's age, whose job was to tell Lily where her next appointment was and make sure she did not get too overwhelmed by fans. Lily liked Grace, though Lily had not found a friend in her yet. Granted, Grace had only been working alongside her for a day and a half, and in that time they had only exchanged a handful of words, but Lily did not get the feeling that they would be bosom buddies.

Lily was excited to see the world. She had always wanted to travel and make her mark in society, and at twenty-one, she would be able to do that. This entire experience was a dream come true for her. It was something unimaginable. It was something that was going to require many espressos such as the one she was currently finishing.

Grace was periodically glancing over at Lily, checking to make sure she was all right and not surrounded by dangerous-looking characters. Two women who looked like they were in their mid-twenties timidly approached Lily, alone at her table and staring out the window. She saw them in a dim reflection in the window and turned as they came towards her. "Um, excuse me," one of them said in splintered English. "Are you Lily Potter?"

The automatic smile Lily used when dealing with her fans appeared upon her face. "Yes, I am," she said.

"I am Bella, and this is Paula," the girl said. "We would like your autograph, if you would be so kind."

"Of course," Lily replied. "It's lovely to meet you." She took the pen that Bella handed to her and wrote _To Bella, my Grecian friend. –Lily Potter_ on the napkin Bella put into her hand. She wrote likewise on Paula's napkin before they skittered back to their own table. The people of Greece, so far, had been exceptionally nice to her. Nicer than her friends, at least, who still had not shown up.

Before her fame, Lily had not been one to appear impeccable whenever she went out in public. Sweatpants were a favorite of hers, but no longer. Now, she was expected to wear dresses, suits, and collared shirts. She received a manicure and pedicure once a week, and her hair was colored twice a month. It seemed that her life was in the hands of others. Other people planned her day: they told her where to go, what to do, and who to talk to. She ate, she slept, she read aloud, she took photographs, and she met fans. This was her dream, though when she imagined it, she thought there would be a larger margin for independence. But this was her dream, right?

The bell on the front door rang and Lucile and Garrett came bustling in the door. "I'm so sorry, Lily baby," Lucile exclaimed, rushing over to Lily's table and sweeping her friend into a tight embrace. "The traffic was absolutely horrific."

"Hey, Lily," Garrett greeted, squeezing her soundly. "I'm so sorry we're late. I know your time is limited." Garrett's mannerisms were much softer than Lucile's. They complimented each other perfectly. Lily had dreamed of having the sort of relationship that they shared. She saw the way Garrett looked at Lucile as he held out her chair for her, the way Lucile made sure the waitress put two creams in Garrett's coffee, just the way he liked it. When their beverages came, Lucile started in on questioning Lily about her tour so far. Lily didn't want to talk about it, so Lucile continued. "Okay Lily baby, please don't hate me, but this is not something I wanted to tell you over the mobile or anything." She glanced at Garrett, smiling, before stretching her arm across the table, shoving her hand into Lily's face. It took a moment for the ring to come into focus.

"Oh my god," Lily gasped, grabbing Lucile's hand to stare more closely at the diamond inlaid in white gold. "You're engaged." She looked over at Garrett. "You're fucking engaged. You finally did it, Garrett. I can't believe this! You finally asked her!"

Lily was amazed that this was actually happening. She had always joked with her friends that they would get married, but now a wedding was truly going to occur. Two of her friends were getting married. Lily would be forced further out of their lives as they grew closer together, she knew, no matter how vehemently Lucile was denying this fact from across the small table in a Grecian café.

"It was so romantic, Lily, I wish you could have been there," Lucile gushed. "He did the whole get down on one knee in a restaurant thing and—"

"When did this happen?" Lily blurted out.

"Last week," Garrett replied. "Honestly, I was trying to wait until you came, Lily, because I knew how hard it was going to be for Lucile to keep from telling you, but I couldn't wait any longer. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly.

"Anyhow," Lucile went on, "I think we're going to have the wedding in London next summer, after your tour is over. Your free days are the most important, because we know your schedule is crazy. You are our top guest, and therefore top priority, Lily."

Lily was touched that her friends were scheduling their wedding around her busy agenda of fame. Still, things would be different from now on. She knew that this was going to happen eventually, but now that it was, she wasn't sure if she welcomed the idea wholeheartedly. She felt that now Lucile and Garret were going to be in a relationship together that required them to keep no secrets from one another; they would start keeping things from her because they would have each other to consult with on all matters.

"It was _so_ romantic," Lucile continued. "We were in my favorite restaurant in the quaint little town overlooking the beach. I got the best lasagna—you know how I love my lasagna—and then we had this crazy flaming dessert. So, over some dessert wine, Garrett started talking really sweetly to me and he was saying all of these nice things about me and how he loves living with me…" Lily saw that Garrett was flushing with embarrassment. "Then he gets out of his seat, kneels on the floor, and pulls out this ring. I saw the ring and everything, but my brain didn't register what was happening until he asked me to marry him. It was like the movies, Lil, I'm telling you. I started crying and hugged him and the restaurant burst into applause." Lucile reached over and squeezed Garrett's hand, gazing at him lovingly. "It was so perfect."

"I'm ecstatic you two are finally committing," Lily said sincerely. She was surprised to find that there was a slight tremble in her voice. Her eyes were becoming wet with tears.

"Aw, sugar pie, what's wrong? Don't cry," Lucile said, sliding her chair around the table and putting her arms around her best friend. Before Lily could even evaluate what was wrong with herself, Lucile said," You'll find your someone someday." As soon as those words came from her mouth, Lily knew that she had hit the nail on the head. Lily was such a bad friend; her best friends were getting married and instead of showing her delight, she was worried about her own damned love life."

"I'm sorry, Luce. I really am happy for you two. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment. I just wish I could have been there." She sniffled through a smile. "Garrett, why couldn't you have waited any longer?"

He chuckled, but she could tell that he felt her loneliness and sympathized. "Sorry, Lil, it was just the perfect moment. Plus, I needed a night of mind-blowing sex."

Lily burst into laughter, and other of the corner of her eye she saw Grace make a startled move, not realizing what was transpiring. "That was way too much information, Garrett!" she cried.

"Nothing's too much for our mate Lily," he replied.

Lily recognized just then how rare a relationship Garrett and Lucile shared. They had known one another for so many years that they were practically one person. They could nearly read one another's mind. Lily wanted that one day, and she knew that she would have to be patient because the only people she would be spending any time with for next year or so was her road crew: Grace, her agent Marcy, her bus driver Joseph, her publicist Michael, a personal stylist and two assistants, and her tour manager Samuel. She didn't see herself becoming involved with any of them. For now, she would have to live vicariously though the lovebirds sitting before her.

"Are you planning on moving after this marriage?" she asked.

"I think we'll stay where we are for a while," Garrett said. "Our lease on the flat will last for another few years. But it isn't big enough for a family."

"A family," Lily said, nearly in awe. "How on earth did you change Lucile's mind about having children?"

"He's very persuasive," said Lucile. She had, just a few years ago, vowed never to go through the painful process of childbirth and raising little ones. "We want to raise our children in Stratford, where we grew up. We want them to go to Hogwarts as well, not to mention be closer to their Auntie Lily, if she ever returns from her world tour."

"Oh, don't worry, she will," Lily sighed. "I already know that I'll be pretty tired of travel after this year."

"C'mon Lily, stop being so pessimistic," Garrett chided. "Don't focus on a husband; focus on your smashing career. You have an opportunity that most would give their right arm for." How did both Garrett and Lucile read her so easily? "I suppose you're right," Lily groaned. "I'm living out my dream. You both had better listen when they broadcast me on the radio next week in Venice."

"I'll even have a party," Lucile said. "I'm so jealous of your success."

The funny thing was, Lily was jealous of Lucile. She was going off on a world tour, and all she wanted was someone to share it with.

**LPLPLPLPLPLP**

**Yeah, that wasn't the engagement you expected, was it?**

**Review Time!**


	12. Age Twenty Two, Choice

**I apologize for how long this took to write, but it's nice and long for you. Enjoy!**

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_Age Twenty Two, Choice_

Lily Potter was sitting in her room of the magically enlarged tour bus, awaiting the bus's arrival in her town. She couldn't wait to fall into her own bed after missing it for a year. She was itching with impatience, though she was also attempting to be content with the fact that she was sitting next to her tour manager, Samuel, with her head on his shoulder. For the last six months of the tour they had been somewhat of an item. They weren't anything official, but there were definitely strong feelings between them. He had considerable lessened Lily's feelings of loneliness; now she had someone to share her happiness with.

The last year was officially deemed the craziest twelve months of her life. She traveled all around the world, meeting fans and eating new foods, giving interviews and living out of a suitcase. The bed where she currently sat is where she slept. The tour bus was magically enhanced, but it was still rather close quarters for the amount of people that had resided in it. Lily had come to love every single person living on the tour bus with her. The nine of them were practically a family…except for Samuel, who was practically her boyfriend. He had never actually asked her out on a date, they had just started talking more and more frequently, and that eventually led to kissing, which eventually led to spilling their hearts out to one another and depending on each other.

Lily hated to make people feel awkward, so she and Samuel did not act like a couple in front of any of their bus-mates. They all insisted that they were not uncomfortable with the situation, but Lily felt they were all lying. Thus the reason she and Samuel were sitting in her bedroom, rumbling along as the bus passed over the bumpy roads if Scotland. They were only a few hours away from Lily's cute little flat over the scrumptious little bakery. She was nearly bouncing with anticipation. She missed her family terribly. They last chance she had gotten to see her friends was the first day of her tour, in Greece. She had seen her parents more recently, however, when her tour bus rolled through England. Still, she missed everyone terribly. She had not laid eyes on Scott all year. There were so many stories she had to share with all of the ones she loved.

Marcy poked her head into Lily's room. "We were thinking of going out for a last celebratory bang. Are you two up for that?"

Lily was exhausted, but she nodded. "Sounds brilliant," she said. "I'm starved." With a smile, Marcy's head slipped out of the door.

"What comes after today, Lily?" Samuel asked. He sounded sad.

"What you do mean?"

Samuel lived in England, that's what he meant, and Lily knew this. This was going to be an awkward situation. She had been expecting this conversation, but she had not been looking forward to it.

"Lily, I'm so grateful that I got to be your tour manager," he said. "I don't want to lose you tomorrow just because the tour is over."

"You won't lose me, Sam; we don't live too terribly far away. There's always Apparation," Lily countered. She had actually never given any thought to this subject. Her mind was too preoccupied with everything else that had been happening in the last year.

In the spare time she had found while they were traveling the world, Lily had begun a second book. It was an account of Voldemort's terrible effect on the Wizarding World. As the bus went from country to country, she was able to find and interview people who survived the terrible war and Voldemort's wrath during the time when Lily's father was fighting him. She had even discovered some of the survivors when her father's father was alive to interview. Piles and piles of notes were wrapped in rubber bands and stuffed under her tour bus bed.

"Lil_y_," Samuel practically whined, dragging her name out. "You know Apparation is not nearly the same as spending every single day with you."

"I know, Sam," Lily said, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking at him. "But what do you expect us to do?"

"Well…" he began. "I know all of your family is back in England, and I know how you miss them terribly, so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to move in with me?"

Lily sat there, blinking at him like a brainless idiot. She had no idea how to respond to that. To her, life at the moment was perfectly wonderful, and she was fully prepared to follow where it took her, but she did not expect it to take her back to England. She did not want to leave her charmingly small flat above the Mendlesson bakery. She was so looking forward to returning there later today, and she wanted to live there until the next world tour swept her way. At age twenty-two, she was not ready to move in with her not-even-boyfriend whom she was neither in love with nor extremely well acquainted with. They had, after all, only known one another for a year. Living together would introduce all sorts of new problems, such as sleeping situations. She had already lived with a boyfriend once in her lifetime, and that was out of necessity. Even that necessary situation did not go so well. That was not something she wanted to repeat. Plus, the way Sam had posed the question, he was thinking about this situation as a long-term one. Lily did not think he would expect to sleep on the couch while she occupied his bed.

"Lily?" Samuel asked, bringing her back to attention. "Um, what do you think?"

"Sam, I don't think that's the most brilliant idea," Lily said tentatively.

Samuel looked crestfallen all of a sudden. "I think it's a good idea. Lily, I-I love you!" he exclaimed.

When Tim had admitted his love for Lily, she had felt his genuine words and felt guilty. Samuel, on the other hand, did not mean it. Tim had wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lily. Samuel did not.

Lily sighed. "Sam…" Her voice sounded strained to her. "You don't love me."

He appeared bewildered. "Yes I do Lily."

"Sam, you may love me at the moment, while I'm young and famous and vivacious. You don't have the kind of love for me that means you want to spend the rest of your life for me."

"But—"

She held up her hand and continued. "You won't want to grow old with me and take care of me if I become a vegetable. You won't want to care for me if I get sick or wait for me if I travel for months at a time. You won't stick around if we argue or do all of the chores when I'm too tired. You won't want to stay up late when the baby is crying. You won't like it if I become successful and you lose your job. You won't want to drive the children to daycare. You won't want to put up with their crayon pictures, or the first time they pick up your wand and accidentally blow up your favorite gadget. You won't like it when I forget to do the grocery shopping, or when I go on a shipping spree.

"You don't love me, Sam."

His face had been growing more flushed each second she talked at him. "You can still move in with me," he mumbled. "I'll learn to love you that way."

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I really don't think it would work. There's always Apparation," she repeated.

The dinner the nine bus-mates partook in was a rather awkward affair. Samuel was skulking the entire time, and he took his seat down the table from Lily. Lily, however, had as much fun as she possibly could, since it was the last night of her amazing year-long tour.

When the tour bus dropped her off four hours later in front of Mendlessons' sans luggage (she was going to pick it up at Marcy's office tomorrow), a smile was threatening to break Lily's face in half. She had already cried about the end of her very successful tour, and was now fully prepared to be at home. She struggled to put the key into the lock: a glass of firewhiskey, giddiness, and fatigue were all slowing her progress. The front door swung open to reveal a living room lit with candles. Lily was very puzzled. The Mendlessons had been caring for her flat while she was supposedly away visiting her family, (this was her excuse for Muggles), but she did not think that they would have filled her home with scores of candles.

She progressed cautiously through the house. The only light given off was from the candles, and Lily saw a bottle of wine on the kitchen counter as she passed the small, flickering lights. Entering the bedroom, she found the culprit who had festooned her flat.

Scott was curled up in her bed, fully clothed, atop the blankets. There were a few candles in here as well, burning down to their bases. Lily looked at his sleeping form fondly. Out of all the people she had missed while away, Scott was the one that she had longed to see the most. They had not talked on the phone, exchanged a letter, or seen one another since she left a year ago. She had the urge to jump on the bed and squeeze the life out of him, but decided to let him sleep.

In Switzerland, Lily had met a man that reminded her so strongly of Scott that she almost called him by that name. He was one of her fans, and had approached her wishing for an autograph. When he smiled at Lily, she had been so strongly reminded of her friend that a pain was struck through her body and she longed for home. Now, here she was, faced with Scott, who she was still not entirely over. He would always be her first love, whether he liked it or not.

Lily herself was fatigued and ready to sleep for about a week. She would talk to Scott in the morning—or next week—when she woke up. She pulled the only pair of pajamas she hadn't taken with her from her drawer and carefully exchanged her travel-worn clothes for the silk outfit. Sliding into bed next to Scott, she realized that she hadn't blown out any of the candles, but she let it go; Scott must have put a spell on them so that they would not burn anything down. He would not make the mistake of letting anything start a fire in her apartment again.

Thinking of the fire made her miss James. He had come to the rescue a little later than the rest of her family and friends, but once he had made it to her side, he hadn't withdrawn his support until her flat was completely refinished. He had supervised all of the renovations, whipped the construction workers into shape, and made sure everything was perfect before Lily moved back in. She had gotten a chance to see him when her tour stopped in Los Angeles, but it wasn't a long enough block of time to fully catch up with him. Plus, she had not gotten to see Jordan for an extended period of time. That was one thing she did not like about her tour, and yet loved about it: she never spent very long in each city. Therefore, she could never talk to one person for too long, but she also was able to meet too many people to count.

Now she was home. Finally. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. She did not want to think about the events that had transpired with Samuel today. She was afraid that after all the two of them had been through during the past year, they would not be friends again because of her denying his love.

Scott shifted in his sleep. "Lil, that you?" he mumbled, stretching out his arm over her body.

"Hey, Scott," she grinned.

"Hey!" He was more awake now, and pulled her closer to him in an embrace. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Lily replied, squeezing him tightly. "I have so many stories to tell you."

"I have some stuff to tell you too."

"Well save it till morning. I don't want to disrupt your sleep."

Scott ignored her, however, and continued with what he had to say. "I made you a welcome home dinner."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Lily said regretfully. "We all went out to dinner since it's our last night of the tour."

"I get it. It's all right. The main thing was that I came here to welcome you home and to tell you something that I've been stewing over for months."

Lily had already had her fair share of serious conversations for the day. Boys weren't supposed to be comfortable talking about their feelings, were they? What was going wrong with the world today? As much as she loved and missed Scott, she would much rather fall asleep right now and listen to his soul-bearing tomorrow. However, she would humor him. She hoped this would not take too terribly long. "What is it?"

"I've been waiting for you to come back forever, Lilikins. I didn't realize that I would miss you so much." He seemed to be waking up as each word came out. "I've been through so many girls this year it's outrageous. And I couldn't tell you about any of them because I didn't know how to contact you or anything. It's been killing me. I've been feeling really lonely, at any rate, which is why I've been dating so much. Don't laugh at me for telling you all of this, please. It's taken me long enough to build up the courage to tell you this fucking touchy feely stuff." It sounded as if he was growing angry with himself.

"Scott, you know I won't make fun of you, you silly goose. If you want to wait until tomorrow to tell me this, I'll understand. I know you're tired and you're disappointed that I missed your carefully prepared dinner."

"No, no, Lily, _listen_. I've got to get this out. I didn't realize I missed you so much. You're such an important part of my life. I don't want to risk losing you in any way. I thought that I was fine with being best mates, Lily, but I'm not. I need more than that in my relationship with you. I am in love with you. It's not the love I had for you back at Hogwarts; no, it's so much stronger and more mature. You're the best person I know, Lily Potter, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Lily sat up, shocked to hear this. This was the second time today that a man had told her that he loved her, but she knew that Scott meant it. He meant it with all of his heart. These sentiments brought up long-harbored feelings for her. The butterflies in her stomach began and warmth spread through her entire body. Her response to him was genuine and automatic. "I love you too, Scott. You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that to me and mean it in the same way that I do." Excitement and adrenaline were filling her veins, bubbling in her body.

Scott sat up too. The candlelight showed how nervous and yet how happy his expression was. He reached into the pocket in his slacks and pulled out a box. Lily's body went rigid.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Lily Potter," he repeated. "I want to grow old with you and live with you and die with you and have a family with you…obviously not in that order." He chuckled nervously. "I was planning on doing this in a much more romantic setting, but…will you marry me?"

He snapped open the box and revealed a gold band with three small diamonds. Lily's breath caught in her throat. She could feel the tears springing to her eyes, blurring her vision of the beautiful ring. "Scott, I-I…" This was so entirely sudden. She had just had a tiff with her not-yet-boyfriend this afternoon, and now Scott, her lifelong friend, her ex-boyfriend, the man she had not seen or spoken to in a year, was asking for her hand in marriage. "Yes," she practically whispered. "Yes, I will marry you."

The nervousness vanished from Scott's face and he leaned forward, kissing Lily for the first time in five years. He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her again. Lily looked down at the gold band. It was two fingers away from the ring he had given to her six years ago, for her sixteenth birthday. Their relationship was full of twists and turns, but now it was finally going to stabilize and turn into something Lily never could have imagined.

She was getting married.


	13. Age Twenty Three, Wedding

**This chapter took a while because I was so busy looking up dresses and tuxedos. Links are at the end of the chapter, if you'd like to see the wedding attire. I am particular to this chapter, myself. I hope you enjoy it as well.**

**This chapter is dedicated to **SkyeVerya **for such an enthusiastic review. It made me smile.**

**LPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLP**

_Age Twenty Three, Wedding_

Lily Potter was more nervous than she had ever been before. She had thought, when the events were occurring, that getting sorted, trying out for the Quidditch team, her first date, graduation, moving away from home, surviving a fire, her first reading, her world tour, and admitting her undying love for Scott were nerve-wracking instances, but this one took the cake. She was getting married today to the man of her dreams.

The dress she had her mother had painstakingly shopped for months ago was now adorning her body. Lily was nearly afraid to move in it, for fear it would tear or get dirty. The nerves in her stomach were threatening to burst forth and ruin her dress as well. Nervousness was enveloping her and she did not know how to quell it. This was the biggest day of her life, and she was excited, but nervousness was dominating every other emotion.

The wedding was an outdoor one. She was presently waiting for her father to enter the room she occupied in the banquet hall. His job was to bring her out at the right time and escort her around the corner of the building and up the outdoor aisle to her fiancée and the pastor. Luckily, it was a warm, clear day in the English countryside—well, as clear as the weather in England could possibly be, at any rate. They were having a Muggle wedding because of all the Muggles both she and Scott had befriended over the years. Therefore, she had a traditional Muggle dress and he a traditional tuxedo. On the wedding invitations, Lily had to make sure to specify to the wizards that were to be in the audience that Muggle dress was required and wands were discouraged.

Lily ran her hands over the skirt of her dress, smoothing it unnecessarily. The last moments of complete independence were floating away before the mirror. Soon, she would be sharing the rest of her life with one man; the one man that she had loved since the age of fifteen. Yes, that love had begun as an intense teen love, then faded slightly, and finally matured into a full blown true love, but she knew that from now on, her love would only grow more passionate. She loved everything about Scott Warner. His walk, his smile, his voice, his mannerisms, the way he tousled his hair when he was flirting, his sensitive side, his protectiveness of her, his intelligence, his sense of humor…her list went on.

The string quartet was beginning the "Wedding March" and the knot in Lily's stomach grew tighter. In a few moments, her life would be tied to Scott's forever. She allowed a smile to creep onto her face. The excitement was fighting with the nervousness and was beginning to win. She wondered if Scott was as nervous as she.

The last year, during their engagement, had been a difficult one. They did not want to move in together until marriage. Thus, they could only see one another on the weekends. They both had to get their flats ready to sell. For the past two months, Lily had been living back in England, with her parents, in order to get all of the wedding plans in order. She had also been traveling the country, shopping around for houses in the area to purchase. Scott was still living in his flat in Edinburgh, and he had been looking for houses there. There had been some discrepancy as to where they would live; Scott had his job in Edinburgh, but Lily wanted to raise a family in England, closer to both of their families. They had finally decided on settling near Manchester. Lily had enough money to support a family of twelve for the rest of their lives, but Scott wanted to work and support his family. There was more opportunity to work with dangerous creatures in Sheffield than in London, so that was where they were headed. Scott was searching for a job there, though it did not matter if he found one for a few months because of all the revenue Lily's book was still bringing in.

Her second manuscript was nearly finished. She just had to compile the last few chapters and send it to her publisher. She kept telling herself that this was merely to have fun and to get the story of the masses out there, but in the back of her mind she knew that she was hoping to have another hit on her hands. The exhilaration of reading in front of a crowd and of having so many people cheering for her was something that she wanted again. She was not getting her hopes up, however. Scott was, of course, rooting for her and assuring her how successful her next book would be. That was something else Lily loved about him: how supportive he was of her. Now that support would be there for the rest of her life.

Her father entered the room, looking sharp in a tuxedo, and grinning widely. "It's time, Lily. Are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready, dad," Lily replied. "The question is, are you ready?" She waggled her eyebrows at him.

He laughed. "I'll never be ready to give my little girl away. But I guess if I have to, I'm glad I'm giving you to Scott. I love you, Lily. I am so proud of you, and I want you to remember that."

"Thanks, daddy. And, don't worry, you still have Albus to baby."

Mr. Potter slipped his arm through his daughter's and they peeked out the window into the garden. The flower girl, Antoinette Lupin, age two, daughter of Lily's cousin Victorie, was walking towards the garden in her little white dress. She vanished around the corner of the building. It was nearly Lily's turn to take that long walk up the aisle.

The press had pushed to make this wedding a public one, where all could attend and all manner of media personnel could take pictures. Lily and Scott, of course, fought this, insisting on their privacy. Lily was afraid that she would have to take legal action, but she had eventually gotten her way after agreeing to send each newspaper a picture of her and her new husband and a summary about the wedding. They all wished to write an article on the subject, (for what reason, Lily did not know), and she wanted to make certain that they could not print any slanderous information. No, the only people that had been invited to the wedding were friends and family and friends of the family.

Lily and her father exited Lily's dressing room and approached the wedding. The violin music grew louder as they rounded the corner. Lily clutched her bouquet tightly. The crowd sitting on their folding chairs in the vast garden stood as one for the bride. There was Antoinette, almost up the aisle, throwing blue and silver flower petals onto the ground. Lily and her father walked under the archway of lilies and blue ribbon and began their descent up the grassy aisle.

Lily kept her eyes on her maid of honor, Lucile, as she walked steadily. The butterflies in her stomach were multiplying and fluttering madly; she did not want to glance at Scott in his tuxedo and have them burst inside of her. Next to Lucile were Lily's three bridesmaids, Marcy, Grace, and Jordan.

Lily had found a friend in her personal assistant, Grace, during the marathon world tour. She hadn't expected to because of Grace's personality, but it was hard not to become good friends with someone you spent a year with. Grace was a very sweet, shy, loyal young woman and Lily was still very close with her, despite the fact that they lived an hour away from one another. Marcy had quite the opposite personality, and Lily loved her just the same. She had to be an outgoing, feisty woman to be a successful agent. Not only was she an agent, however, she was a fantastic friend. Lucile had, since her marriage, grown slightly apart from Lily, and Lily had not laid eyes on her since the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Blume last fall. Jordan had been a frequent phone friend of Lily as of late. Jordan had just had twins three months ago, Jessica and Julius, and therefore had not been able to get out of the house lately. Lily had been panicking about her impending marriage. Both of them needed moral support, and got it through long distance phone calls.

Thus, all of those lovely friends were standing up there in their gorgeous marine-colored dresses, holding their wonderful bouquets and waiting for Lily, who was slowly but surely approaching her place. She felt that her father was the only thing holding her up. That, of course, was when he let her go and went to sit in the front row of folding chairs with her mother. Lily finally had to face Scott. She came to stand next to him, trying to sweep her long train closer to her.

He was more dashing than she could have imagined. They had not seen one another in their respective wedding attire until this very moment. All she could do was keep staring at him, a stupid grin plastered on her face. His face mirrored hers. Behind him stood his best man, Garrett, and his three groomsmen, James, and two friends from work, Mason and Spencer. Although they were mighty handsome, they paled in comparison to Lily's groom.

The pastor was speaking, but Lily was finding it hard to concentrate on his words with the hammering of her heart in her ears. They had each written their own vows, and she was trying very hard to remember them. "Lily and Scott," the pastor was saying, "today you celebrate the beginning of a beautiful life together. The couple has written their own vows. Scott, would you like to recite your vows now?"

Scott reached for Lily's hands and began to speak. "I have a poem for you, Lily, which I think you'll appreciate." For a second, it appeared that he had to regain his composure, and then he began: "Today we stand before the altar of love,/With nervous shuffles we take our places,/Bridesmaids and grooms like sentries stand,/Minister speaks of duty, responsibility and commitment,/"Will you take this woman . . . for as long as you both shall live?"

"Stop! This is madness!/When the Champagne is finished and the celebrations end,/When rain has washed away the last piece of confetti,/What then?

"You look at me and smile,/A smile full of warmth and understanding,/My worries melt away,/I know tomorrow is ours to behold,/And just like yesterday and today,/We will fill it with our love.

"Lily, I love you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I promise to love and cherish and honour you for the rest of our life together. When this ceremony is over tomorrow, I know that I will have you by my side. You have been there for me through every trial imaginable, and now we can go through every trial side-by-side. I cannot imagine my life without you in it, and I'm glad that I don't have to."

Lily felt the tears leaping to her eyes. She squeezed the hands that were in hers. "Lily?" the pastor prompted.

"Scott…I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you today, and I do not think that I came up with any of the right words to describe to you the amount of love I feel for you. I have loved you since age fifteen, and I waited for eight years to know that you returned that love—this love—that has grown so strong. I feel terribly unoriginal now, but I have a poem as well because I cannot find the words to express to you the intensity of my love and devotion to you.

"_You and I/Have so much love,/That it burns like a fire,/In which we bake a lump of clay/Moulded into a figure of you/and a figure of me./Then we take both of them./And break them into pieces/ And mix the pieces with water,/And mould again a figure of you and a figure of me/I am in your clay./You are in my clay./In life we share a single quilt,/In death we will share one coffin. _You are the man of my dreams, Scott, and I will be with you forever."

The pastor requested the rings, and they were exchanged, with two utterances of "I do" from the bride and the groom. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the pastor said. Lily's nerves were subsiding and happiness was instead welling up inside of her. She now had a new ring on her finger. The urge to look down at it was overwhelming, but the pastor was now instructing them to kiss, and that was a distraction. She and Scott leaned forward and their lips met in pure happiness and love and a newly married couple.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the pastor. "I now present to you, for the first time, Mister and Misses Scott Warner."

The audience erupted in applause. Lily glanced over at her mother and father in the front row. Her mother had erupted in tears and her father was beaming with pride, his large hands clapping soundly. Beside Scott, James and Garrett were clapping loudly. James was whistling. He smiled at his sister, who kissed her new husband again. Hand-in-hand, they walked back up the aisle, around the building, and into the limousine waiting for them. Lily could not stop smiling and staring at her husband as they sat across from one another.

Husband. Husband husband husband. She wondered how long it would take for that to sound normal.

"Hello, Mrs. Warner," Scott said, smiling back at her from the other seat of the limo. Lily could not stand how dashing he looked in his tuxedo.

"Hello, Mr. Warner," she replied. She was his wife. He was her husband. They were married.

"You look so beautiful," he said. He moved to sit right next to her and put his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, not caring any longer about wrinkling her dress.

"Thanks," she murmured. "Scott, I can't believe we're married."

"I know, darling," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I didn't think it was possible to be so happy."

"I'm so in love with you that I feel like I could burst," Lily told him. "Can we just skip the reception and go straight to the hotel? Personally, I'd like to sit and stare at you for a few hours before I do anything remotely productive."

Lily felt the deep rumble of Scott's chuckle in his chest. "We're have time for that later. Now, we party, my love." He kissed her head again.

When they arrived at their reception, all of their guests were already there, and were prepared to applaud when the couple entered. Scott was starving, and wanted to hit the buffet table immediately. Lily felt no hunger, only excitement and happiness, so instead of getting food, she watched Scott. All around her, people were congratulating her, but she could not rip her eyes from her husband to talk to them. She could not believe that he had found her soul mate, her true love, someone who loved her through every flaw and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

Suddenly, Lucile was by her side. "Oh Lily, you forgot to take off your train! I don't want it to get dirty, you silly goose," she said, bustling around her friend to remove the long train attached to Lily's dress. "Look, I know you don't want to drag your eyes away from Scottie boy, but you're going to have to eventually. Now would be a good time, so that I can hug you."

Reluctantly, Lily ripped her gaze from her handsome husband and met eyes with her best mate. Lucile squealed girlishly and threw her arms around Lily. "We're married!" she cried. "I can't believe it! Excitement is not even the _word_ to describe how I feel right now! That wedding was so beautiful; you're so beautiful Lily! Scott is entirely too lucky to have you."

The morning after Scott and Lily had gotten engaged, Lily had woken up to the ringing of her mobile. Samuel was on the other end, begging her to reconsider and move in with him. It had made her feel guilty to tell him she was now engaged. After that news left her lips, he hung up on her. She had heard from him six months later, in a letter, but that was all the contact they had had. When Scott had woken up later that morning and she told him of the offer Sam had made her the previous day, all he had done was hold her tightly, enveloping her in his body. "I can't believe I came so close to losing you. I'm such a wanker. I should have told you before you left last year." And that had been that.

Now, Scott would never lose her. She was his forever.

**LWLWLWLWLWLWLWLWLW**

Poems: Wedding Day Nerves by Stuart McFarlane, Married Love by anonymous

_**Here are the links:**_

_GINNY'S DRESS: (in truffle) http// davidsbridal. Com /mother of bridedetail.jsp? stid2984 &prodgroup 59_

_SCOTT'S TUXEDO: (it's the third tuxedo style from the left, with the forth vest from the left, in silver) http:// ww w. afterhours. Com /createatux.html _

_LILY'S DRESS: (with marine accent) __http/ww w. stid2839&prodgroup 10_

_LILY AND BRIDESMAID SHOES: (in marine)_

_http:// accessorydetail.jsp? stid2585&prodgroup174_

_BRIDESMAID DRESSES: (in marine) http:// ww w.davidsbridal. com/bridesmaids detail.jsp?stid2982&prodgroup110_

You'll have to take the spaces out of the links.


	14. Age Twenty Four, Interruption

**I discovered I received only 4 reviews for last chapter when I have 25 people alerted to my story and 55 hits?**

**I think more reviews are in order. **

**LWLWLWLWLWLWLW**

_Chapter Fourteen, Interruption _

Her second and third books were overwhelming successes. As soon as they hit the shelves, they were sold out. Second printings were beginning. Lily Warner did not know what to do with all of the money that was flying her way besides funnel it into charities, which is what she was constantly doing. As a result of these numerous and generous donations, she was asked to attend a gala held by all of the Ministers of Magic across the world. Only the most famous, most influential witches and wizards of the world were invited, and Lily was lucky enough to be one of them.

She had absolutely nothing to wear to an event of this magnitude, of course, and so she was out shopping for a lovely and extravagant gown. It was unfathomable to her that she, of all people, was considered to be worthy of attending this event.

Her husband Scott had been so good about this whole situation. Instead of getting intimidated or jealous of Lily's success, he had been entirely supportive of her. The only thing he had been slightly jealous of was not receiving an invitation to attend this gala with his wife. Lily could never have asked for a better husband. Scott was all of the things she needed. The happiness from her wedding day had not faded. The poem Scott recited during the exchange of their vows rang true.

It wasn't as difficult to live with someone as Lily expected it to be. The most trying ordeal was combining their financial accounts and insurance policies. They had quickly settled into a rhythm of cooking, cleaning, and laundry, which was made easier by their wands. Scott had found a job in his field of expertise and was doing very well. Lily was still writing, and she wanted to open a bookstore, but that was still in the idea stages. Their house was a moderate size, not something one would expect for such a rich couple. The two-story house had three bedrooms, a sitting room, living room, kitchenette, dining room, and two bathrooms. Lily had transformed one of the bedrooms into a work room, since they had no other need for it…for now. They had not really had the children conversation yet, except to decide that now was not the time for them. Scott and Lily were a newly married pair with lives entirely too busy to accommodate kids. Lily was fine with this decision. She wanted a few years with her new husband before they added members to their family.

This dress Lily currently had on her body might make Scott want to attempt to have children early, however, because it looked absolutely smashing on her in the dressing room mirror. The price tag read £500, but this was a situation that called for some splurging. She took the dress off, exited the dressing room, and checked out at the counter, excited with her purchase and with the impending promise of the evening. She was Apparating into London, so she did not have to waste the day driving. Then she was to spend the night at her parents' house, since it was close by. It would be the first night that Lily would not be sleeping in the same bed as Scott since their marriage. She assumed that she would be too tired and full of adrenaline tonight, and would not even notice.

The house was empty when she arrived. Scott was still at work and would be until after Lily left for the gala. Lily wasn't exactly fond of coming home to an empty house, but she did it often. She was holding a part-time job as a sales associate at a bookstore within walking distance from her home, and often came home hours before Scott, whose work hours were sporadic and unpredictable. Her agent wanted another book finished by the end of the year, so Lily was supposed to be writing when she came home. Normally, instead of doing this, she fixed dinner, cleaned, or read. Tonight, however, she had to get ready for the grand event she was to attend.

Personally, she was thinking about getting a pet. Garrett and Lucile had a pet in their lovely Grecian home. A cat named Louis, to be precise. Lucile called it their "preparation for a real baby"; though, now that she was two months pregnant, Louis would just be a cat. Lily had gotten the phone call nearly a month ago, after Lucile returned from the doctor. Lucile had actually told Lily before she told Garrett. They apparently were not planning on having children for another few years. Somehow, their plan was ruined. Thus, Lucile had been afraid of telling Garrett the news. Lily, after expressing her jubilation, had managed to bring Lucile's panic down to a dull roar. Garrett, of course, was even more ecstatic about the news than Lily. Now, they were looking for houses on the market in England, because that was where they wished to raise their child. Lily knew that they did not have the financial means to move across countries, and then support an infant (and a cat). Therefore, she was planning on buying them a house. She wanted to present this gift to them at Lucile's baby shower, which was taking place in two months. She had not informed Scott of this idea yet, but she was sure that he could be fine with it. Lily wanted her friends to be as well off as they possibly could.

Lily could not help but dancing madly around the house as she primped for the party. The excitement was uncontainable. Her new dress looked fantastic on her and she was having a particularly good hair day. Hair could be fixed with a few well-said spells, but it was nice to have the completely natural look. The clock on the bedroom wall informed her that she was behind schedule. She hurried to gather the rest of her things into her clutch bag and penned a quick note to her husband.

_Scott—I'll miss you tonight. I hope you had a wonderful day. I'll call you when I get back to Mum and Dad's. Have a good night, darling. I love you. _Then, she walked outside to Apparate to the Apparation point near the festivities.

Apparation had never been her favorite pastime. Still, it was a quick and easy way to get around. Once, she had been so frazzled that she had splinched herself and left one of her toes in London. That was a rather traumatic experience, and Lily had no intention of repeating the episode. Now, she made sure to concentrate completely on her destination.

A handful of people were gathered at the Apparation point, looking absolutely dashing in their fancy dress. Lily followed some of them around the street corner to the enormous venue where the gala was being held. Paparazzi of all kinds were lining the red carpet leading up to the door. Lily was suddenly nervous. She had forgotten that these people attending the dinner with her were important enough for the press to put them in tabloids and newspapers across the world. These people were international stars.

Her father had been to two of these events, when they first began, after the defeat of Voldemort. The purpose of gathering all Ministry officials from every country, as well as various diplomats, researchers, and journalists, was to devise a front to prevent the rise of another Dark Lord. Naturally, her father had attended the first two, because he defeated Voldemort and knew much about him and his past. That was twenty years ago. Now, since their program was fully in place, the gala had expanded and gained an extravagant reputation of being the best annual Wizarding event in the world.

The inside of the building was gorgeous. The ceiling was incalculably tall. Intricate chandeliers were dangling high above the heads of the many guests. Hundreds of important people were wandering through a maze of decorative tables. Lily couldn't help but gaze around the room, mouth agape. There were radio personnel, marine biologists, diplomats, botanists, Ministry officials, actors, photographers, researchers, spokespersons, novelists, charity founders…everyone that filled the covers of the magazines filled the hall. Lily could not believe it.

"Excuse me, are you Lily Potter?" a middle-aged man was approaching her. He was plump and smiling. His tuxedo fit snugly around him, and he had a red bowtie on.

"Lily Warner, actually," she corrected, returning his smile.

"Ah, yes, I heard about your wedding. Last year, was it? Oh, but where are my manners? Porgous Brockman," he introduced himself, extending a hand. "So glad to meet you. I've read all of your books, of course. Such a fan, such a fan." He shook her hand jovially.

"It's very nice to meet you," Lily said.

"I could never write, myself," he said. "No, no; I'm a researcher, myself. Test tubes and charts. I do admire you though, dear, telling the truth as you do. Fabulous, fabulous. I'd love to chat with you later, but right now I must go to the bar. Yes, yes, I need my martini. It was lovely to meet you."

With that, Porgous Brockman headed off to the bar, leaving Lily clutching her clutch. She was rather amused by her first encounter with the famous. She hoped that many more encounters would occur tonight. Just then, her clutch began to vibrate. Curious, she opened it and looked at her mobile. The phone did not recognize the number. Eyebrows knitted together, she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Lily Warner? This is St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. We have a Mr. Scott Warner here in our Dai Llewellyn Ward for serious bites."

Lily's heart stopped. "Is he all right?" she asked, panicking.

"The healers are caring for him, madam," the woman said. "You may receive more details when you arrive."

"T-thank you," Lily said unsteadily. Her hands were shaking. Her brain was in panic mode. After she hung up the phone, she rushed out of the building, back down the red carpet amidst the flashes of the cameras. Her gown was hindering her dash to the Apparation point, so she pulled it upward off of her shins and continued to run. When she got there, she had to stop and take deep breaths to concentrate on what she had to do. Scott was in St. Mungo's, but she had to Apparate. She closed her eyes and was sucked through a tight tube to an alley a few blocks from the hospital. She hurried to the deserted store window and walked through it. The woman at the reception desk told her that Scott was occupying the room right down the hall. Lily's heart was pounding so loudly that she was having trouble hearing anything else.

Scott was lying there, unconscious, a healer standing over him. Lily's breathing was heavy. Her husband's entire torso was wrapped in a bandage. The healer's wand was out, and he seemed to be performing some intricate spells over Scott's body.

"E-excuse me," Lily gasped, hoping for breath. The healer finished his spell and turned around.

"Hello there," said the healer. "You must be Mrs. Warner. I am Healer Stein."

"How is he?" Lily asked.

"He was bitten by an Erkling on the job. He isn't in any pain right now. I've done all I can for him for now. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see what to do next."

"Will he be okay?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, Mrs. Warner. I'm sorry, but it is too early to tell whether he will make it."

Lily's knees gave way and she slumped onto the floor. A million thoughts were zinging through her head; the prominent one was that Scott could die. Scott could die. Her husband could die. The love of her life.

The healer came over and helped her stand. "Why don't you go and sit in the waiting room. The colleague of Mr. Warner's who brought him in is waiting there as well." Healer Stein led Lily to the waiting room, where Lily spotted Mason, Scott's co-worker. He came over to her and took her from the Healer.

"Oh, Mason!" Lily exclaimed, flinging her arms around him. Her knees were still weak, so she leaned on Mason for full support. Then the tears began to fall. Suddenly, she was shaking with sobs. Mason led her to one of the uncomfortable chairs, stumbling over her beautiful gown on the way. "He could die!"

"Shh," Mason said, holding her tightly against him and rubbing her back. "He's not going to die, Lily. He loves you too much to do that. We just need to be strong for him."

Lily continued to cry into his button-down, soaking the shoulder through. "I can't live without him, Mason, I can't!" she cried.

"You won't have to, Lily. You won't have to."

Lily couldn't help thinking about their first date, back in fifth year. He had been so sweet to her then. They had coffee on that first date, even though Lily did not care for the beverage. For years afterward, he thought she loved it, because of that date. She always drank it when he offered, as well, since it reminded her of that day. Finally, after graduation, she told him that she wasn't partial to the drink. He had just laughed about it. He had appreciated her reason for drinking it whenever he offered it, as she knew he would. Scott understood all of her quirks. He loved her. And now he could possibly die.

The healer finally came to tell her that she could go and see her husband. She sent Mason home and went to sit by her lover's side. He was still unconscious. Distress was etched upon his face in his potion-induced sleep. The helplessness and vulnerability was obvious as he lay in the hospital bed. The arms that always held Lily so tightly and lovingly lay useless at his sides. Machines next to him monitored his vital signs. His heartbeat appeared to be steady enough, but that was the only machine Lily knew how to read. The sight brought still more tears to her eyes. She reached over and grasped Scott's unresponsive hand.

"You can't leave me, Scott, do you hear me?" she whispered to him in a wobbly voice. "You'll get through this, I know you will. I love you too much. We only got married last year, remember? We've got to have a family. I've got to tell you about this crazy guy I met tonight." She sniffled. "And you have to see me in this dress. I know you'll like it. We've still got lives to live, darling." She stood, leaned over him, and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

She sat by his side for uncountable minutes, staring at him anxiously. Suddenly, the whirring heart-rate machine began to buzz. Lily's panic mode kicked back in. She knew that meant that something was bad. "Excuse me!" she cried. "Someone!" She rushed out of the hospital room and into the hall. Three healers were rushing down the hallway towards her, pushing her aside into the corridor.

One of them began to yell orders at the other two. Lily hung back in the room, but they closed the door on her. The panic increased and her breath left her. Hyperventilation began, and the tears came with it. Something bad had just happened, and she had no idea what was going on. Lily fell into a chair and shoved her head between her knees, trying to steady her breathing. The huge skirt of her dress was hindering her breathing even further. She tried to tell herself that he was not going to die, but the fear was to overwhelming for her to convince herself of this. All of a sudden, she felt a hand upon her back, and then an arm around her. She did not bother to look up.

"What's happened?" asked a panicky voice. That was when Lily looked up and saw her mother and father, as well as Scott's parents. Mason was the one who had his arm around her.

Scott's mother appeared to be extremely panicky, wondering why the door of her son's hospital room was closed. "I don't know what happened," Lily gasped. "Buzzing…and…" No other words came through her heavy breathing. She leaned into Mason's chest for the second time that night.

"Shh…Lily. Shh…"

Lily felt lightheaded. "Oh, darling," her mother sighed, bending down to be at her daughter's eye level. Scott's father was holding his wife tightly. Somewhere in the mix, Lily's father replaced Mason. Lily's dizziness made her lose track of the time. The scenario of her life without Scott would not leave her head. She could not live without him. She absolutely could not. It was not an option.

Hysteria had now taken over all logic and she wrenched herself from her father's grasp and flung herself at the door of the room where her husband was lying, possibly dying. She cried against the door. Someone removed her from it, holding her to them while all rational thoughts vanished from her head. She needed to see Scott: that was the bottom line. This door was preventing her from doing that. Therefore, the door needed to be removed from the situation.

She tore herself from the grasp of whoever was holding her back and turned the door handle. Surprisingly, it relented and she pushed the door away. The healers looked at her in surprise. Healer Stein quickly ushered her back out the door again, leading her over to a chair as she fought against him.

"Mrs. Warner, your husband will be all right," he said loudly.

She stopped fighting.

"He has lost a lot of blood, but we have managed to stabilize him."

Lily was much too fatigued to feel the elation now filling her body, replacing the gradually diminishing terror. Her body could not handle this barrage of varying emotions.

Lily's mother had been in St. Mungo's with a virus, once. It was not life-threatening, thank Merlin, but Lily had still been scared out of her wits. She had only been nine years old, then, and therefore was not allowed to sit by her mother's bed after nine o' clock. She had to wait in the waiting room all night for two nights in a row with James, after both of them refused to go home. Her father sat by her mother's bedside for fifty-eight straight hours while James and Lily played Exploding Snap and made get well cards for their mother. At first, Lily had trouble standing the smell of the hospital, but after being saturated in it for hours, she grew used to it. Her father always emerged from the room looking haggard, with bags under his eyes and a frown on his face.

Her mother had been perfectly fine after three days, but it was still too scary for Lily's taste. For a week afterward, she waited on her mother hand-and-foot, making sure she did not exert herself and bring the illness back.

The next thing she knew, her eyelids were fluttering open to reveal an off-white ceiling. A nice, soft bed was under her. It felt like her bed. Turning her head, Lily saw the sleeping form of her husband. He looked a little pale, but he was intact. The important thing was that he was _alive_. Lily propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at Scott, smiling. She did not know what day it was, or how long it had been since Scott was in the hospital. None of that mattered now. She reached over and pushed his hair out of his face before lying back down and cuddling up to him.

"I love you, darling," she murmured.

To her surprise, Scott's deep voice said, "I love you too," and he wrapped an arm around her body.

She smiled and snuggled closer to him. "I never, _ever_ want you to scare me like that again, Mister Warner," she said seriously.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I promise to never get bitten by a man-eating beast again."

His comment was flippant, but Lily's eyes were welling up with tears at that pesky thought that she could have lost him in that hospital room. She breathed in sharply.

"Don't cry, love," he said soothingly, kissing her hair.

"Now, listen," Lily said, determined to fight the tears off, "I've decided that we need to take some preventative measures to keep this from happening again. First of all, you're going to quit your job. You obviously need a more docile occupation. I'm thinking that you would be good in the ice cream business. You could just stand behind a counter and sell ice cream and cones all day. There's no danger involved there. Ice cream can't hurt you, yogurt poses no threat. You're mostly dealing with children, and the worst they'll do is stick their tongues out. No one wants to rob an ice cream shop because a cone costs, what, £2? So—"

"Lil—"

"No, listen to me," Lily insisted. "We can move, if you want. We'll go somewhere where there are no large beasts…maybe an island where no one else is. That way there is no possible chance of injury. We'll pass our days on the beach."

"But what if I swim out too far and drown?" Scott wondered, a note of sarcasm in his voice.

"Scott, you need to take me seriously here," Lily said. "Do you not understand that I can't live without you?" The tears began to fall against her will.

Scott squeezed her more tightly to his body.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Lily sniffled, referring to the giant bite in her husband's side.

"Yes, but you're more important than pain. I'm sorry you had to miss your grand ball, Lil. I know how much you were looking forward to it, and I ruined everything for you."

"Darling, you're so much more important than any stupid old Ministry gala."

**LWLWLWLWLWLWLW**

**Hit the Go! Button…?**


	15. Age Twenty Five, Reunion

**Happy New Year! As per the request of **MaybeImAmazed**, this chapter has a lot more family.**

**Sorry this took so long to post, but I got sick, and then there was Christmas, and parties, and homework and all that nonsense. So…enjoy!**

LWLWLWLWLWLWLWLWLWLW

_Age Twenty Five, Reunion_

Lily Warner was rather frantic at the moment. She was trying to prepare her assistant manager to supervise the bookstore alone for the weekend in the few minutes she had left before it was time to head home and finish throwing supplies into an overnight back for her and her husband. The assistant manager was not a very good listener, she was quickly discovering. Her regular manager, of course, was going to be at the family reunion for the weekend with Lily. Her bookish cousin Rose was a wonderful manager, but Lily could not count on her for the next two days. She would have to make due with this assistant manager who was making her more frazzled by the second. Her watch was insisting that it was time for her to go. "If you have any questions, just phone," she finished, before grabbing her shoulder bag and hurrying from her show.

A steady of stream of customers were filing in and out of the rows of bookshelves. The store had only gotten off of its feet two months ago, and Lily was convinced that the only reason it was successful was that she was the owner. Her reputation preceded her apparently, and the presses were still interested in the writer who had not churned out another book in a little over a year; multiple newspapers informed the public of the opening of a bookstore owned by _the_ Lily Potter. These newspapers had thankfully brought Lily customers in great waves. Her bookstore was already making a profit, which was incredible based upon the amount of books Lily purchased to fill all of the shelves.

Now, she had to leave her baby to an assistant manager she was not sure she could depend on. There was nothing she could do now, however, because she was running late already. She ran the three blocks back to her home, cursing the lack of physical activity she had been partaking in lately.

Scott was not even home when she arrived. Annoyed with this fact, she began shoving clothing and toiletries into two separate bags, muttering to herself. "He can't even be home when I ask. Merlin, we're already going to be late."

Lily had mixed feelings about what faced her this weekend. Twenty-nine people would be staying in the teetering structure of The Burrow, her grandparents' house for three days. It would be intense family time, and Lily was not sure if she was up for that at this particular point in time. She had not seen many of her relations since her wedding two years ago. She was trying to prepare herself for the games that were inevitably going to come, since Molly and Arthur were planning this entire affair. During their last reunion, five years ago, they had spent two days hopping around the backyard, cheering one another on. Five years ago, of course, Scott was not with her. She was growing increasingly nervous for him; she knew her family would tease him all weekend, because that was what they did.

Scott finally came bustling through the front door when Lily was struggling to carry their bags downstairs. "I'm so sorry, babe, I completely lost track of time. Oh, here, I'll get that," he added when he saw how much trouble she was having hauling their bags down the staircase. He took both duffels from her and easily placed them on the first floor.

Lily was still in fast forward, determined to get out the door and into the car in time to reach the Burrow by eight o' clock. As she hurried her way towards the front door, Scott put his arm out to stop her. "Hey," he said, drawing her close to him. "Slow down for a second."

Scott really was the peanut butter to her jelly. He knew exactly how to take a step back and enjoy things. Take, for instance, right now, as he enveloped her in a hug. Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "See, that's better," he said. "Now you're a lot less mad at me for being late, right?"

Lily chuckled then stretched her face up to kiss him. "We have to go."

The long car ride was a good time for the two of them to catch up. Lately, the bookstore had been taking up most of Lily's time; it took an enormous amount of work to begin a business. Scott had been so good to her. His patience had held out for a very long time and he was always there to de-stress her once she got home from her usually long days. It was lucky that she was already financially sound because she didn't encounter the same problems that most entrepreneurs did.

"Why don't you get some sleep, baby? You look exhausted," Scott suggested. "I noticed you haven't been sleeping lately."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I've been tossing and turning," Lily apologized. "I'm just not very good at dealing with stress, I suppose. And I know I won't sleep tonight worrying about that insufferable assistant manager I put in charge of my lovely shop."

Everyone had already arrived at the Burrow when they finally got there. Lily's mother was upon Lily and Scott as soon as they parked the car and opened the door. "Oh, Lily!" she cried, crushing her daughter in a bear hug. "I'm so glad you came; we haven't seen you in ages!"

"Of course we came, Mum," Lily replied as her mother rushed to the other side of the car to embrace her son-in-law. For a woman now over fifty, her mother was as high-spirited as ever. Grey streaked her hair, but that was the only sign of aging upon her.

"Everyone's in the kitchen having supper," her mother informed them. "I saw you out of the kitchen window. Do you need any help with the luggage? Girls are sleeping on the third and forth floors, boys on the first and second."

Granddad and Grandmum Weasley refused to believe that even married couples had sex; therefore they kept the sleeping quarters of boys and girls separated at all times. All of their children and grandchildren humored them because of their old age, but it was still going to be weird for Lily to wake up in a bed next to Jordan and Victorie instead of Scott. Scott and Lily took their luggage inside the house to their respective floors before entering the kitchen.

"Lily!" came a cry, followed by a bombardment of hugs. The kitchen was packed with people. "Hey, little sis," James greeted, embracing her. Lily savored the hug; she had not seen James for a year and a half. She latched onto him for a few minutes, not wanting to let him go.

Over the past few years, she and James had been growing apart. It was difficult to keep in touch by trans-Atlantic phone calls and letters, especially when James was increasingly busy with his wife and two-year-old twins. Surprisingly, she had started talking more to Albus. His maturity levels had finally gone up and he had approached Lily first with a problem. Lunches and phone conversations had followed. Lily was not complaining, it was just a strange phenomenon because she and Albus had never been close. He was also finally holding down a steady, serious girlfriend named Elizabeth, who he was currently standing with in the corner of the room. She was a cute, timid woman a year younger than Lily, and she appeared to be very uncomfortable in a room full of her boyfriend's family. Lily released James and walked over to greet her other brother, leaving Scott to the affections of her family members.

"Hey, Lily," Albus greeted; he gave her a brief hug. He had turned into the spitting image of his father, sans eyeglasses. "Eliza, you remember my sister, Lily." Elizabeth timidly greeted Lily. "Where's Scott?" he asked.

"I left him to be attacked by Aunt Annemarie," Lily told him. Aunt Annemarie was Uncle George's wife, and she was the most overbearing aunt Lily had. She was currently interrogating Scott, whom she had not seen since his marriage to her niece. Her husband, Uncle George, was ravaging the table of food alongside Lily's gather, Uncle Ron, Uncle Bill, Granddad Weasley, Uncle Charlie and his wife Aunt Grace, Rose's fiancé David, and Cousin Hugo. Most of her female relations were talking together on one side of the room; Victorie, Rose, Aunt Hermione, step-sister Jordan, Aunt Fleur, Grandmum Weasley, and Uncle Percy's girlfriend were all laughing loudly together.

Lily and Scott had been frequenting Rose's house for dinner lately, along with Rose's fiancé David, because of Rose's recently acquired employment under Lily. Therefore, Lily was becoming closer with another one of her relatives whom she previously found incredibly annoying.

Cousin Teddy had somehow acquired the job of babysitting. He was entertaining his and Victorie's five-year-old Remus, as well as Jordan and James's twins Julius and Jessica. Lily went over to join him and visit with her niece and nephew.

"Oh, Lily, when did you show up?" Teddy greeted.

"Just a minute ago," she replied. She took a seat on the floor next to Teddy and picked up Julius, placing him on her lap.

Years ago, before and during the time that Teddy had attended Hogwarts, he used to come over to the Potter house very frequently. His parents had died when he was very young so Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron took it upon themselves to raise him, even though he had foster parents. James and Albus always had great laughs with Teddy, while Lily sat on the sidelines. She had always admired Teddy. He had incredible strength; Lily knew her father saw something of himself in Teddy and therefore treated him as a third son. Teddy was ten years older than Lily, so he had graduated from Hogwarts before she had even begun her schooling. After he graduated, he got his own apartment, and the Potters saw less and less of him.

"I'm so looking forward to this weekend," Teddy said. "It's going to be brilliant. I haven't seen anyone in ages; Victorie and I have been so busy with Remus. How's your bookshop going? I saw you in the newspaper the other day."

Lily got excited when she was able to talk about her new business venture. The only problem with her bookstore was that she had to postpone writing. True, writer's block had been no stranger to her over the past year, but it was still difficult to set her manuscript aside. The wonderful thing about having loyal fans was that they sent lots of fan mail with writing suggestions. Though Lily would never publicly admit it, her fans sparked many ideas that she used in her stories. Sadly, not even this method was helping her out. Her publisher was expecting another book by the end of the summer, as per her contract, but she did not know if a laudable book would emerge from her by then.

By the time the matriarch and patriarch of the family announced bedtime, Julius and Jessica had fallen asleep resting against Lily's knees while Lily talked to Teddy. Males and females separated to their respective floors and got themselves ready to sleep.

Lily never had slumber parties while she was growing up. Before Hogwarts, she had not had any friends besides her brothers and her cousins, and the only people she had been friendly with were boys. Boys were not too keen on slumber parties. While she was attending Hogwarts, her only friends had been Garrett, Lucile, and Scott. Since Garrett and Lucile both lived in Stratford and Lily in London, they spent numerous weeks together, but that was just sleeping on one another's sofas, not girly cookie-baking, gossip-telling slumber parties.

Tonight, however, was making out to be a slumber party night. All of the girls gathered on the third floor and began their strident laughter and gossip in their pajamas. So, while Lily's cousins, aunts, and girlfriends of her brother, cousin, and uncle engaged in giggly conversation, Lily sat on the other side of the room with her mother and Aunt Hermione.

"Do you realize, Miss Lily," said her mother, "that it was ten years ago, nearly to the day that I received a letter from you asking my permission to go to Hogsmeade with one Ravenclaw, Scott Warner?"

Lily blushed, recalling that letter sent by her fifteen-year-old self. "I'm glad you gave me permission, at any rate," she joked.

"Who would have through that my baby, at the age of twenty-five, would be a best-selling, world-touring wife of her first love?" Mrs. Potter said.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Aunt Hermione said.

"That they do," said Mrs. Potter. "Especially this little girl. She takes after her father, this one, with the fame and all."

That was the best compliment Lily had ever received. Her father was her greatest hero—he always had been. She considered him to be on a pedestal above the rest of the world. Not only was he a father, but a hero of the world. He was the best of the best, and Lily had just been put on his level. Sure, it was by her mother, but the comment still deepened her blush.

"This whole growing up thing is ridiculous," Aunt Hermione said. "Ginny, do you remember when we were at the ripe age of twenty-five?"

"We were both married by then too, to our first loves," Lily's mother reminded her. "I had a three-year-old and a one-year-old as well. I had too many stretch marks to count and I had gained twenty pounds in two years. Not the best time in my life."

It was incredible to Lily that her Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and father had all ended up in the same family, thanks to marriage. They had all been friends for over forty years, and now their children were all friends. Hopefully, their children's children would all be friends as well.

"All Rose has been talking about lately is having children," Aunt Hermione said. "Sometimes I think that the only reason she's getting married is to have them." She chuckled. "Are you and Scott thinking about children?" she asked Lily.

"We talked about it when we first married," Lily said. "We want children, but we're waiting until everything settles down; you know, I've just started the bookstore, and he had his accident last year."

"Well, darling, I hope you have the joy of giving birth," said her mother, "because family is the best thing you can have. Happy reunion." She leaned over and gave her daughter a hug, squeezing her tightly.

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	16. Age Twenty Six, Fight

**Even though I have midterms, I'm giving you the present of a chapter! So you should give me the present of REVIEWS!**

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_Age Twenty Six, Fight_

Scott had not made dinner, done the laundry, washed the dishes, emptied the dustbins, or cleaned up the living room. No, when Lily came home from work, she found him stretched across the sofa, sipping redcurrant rum and listening to the radio. The house was a mess and his colleagues were due at their home in three hours for a dinner party.

Lily threw her bag heavily next to him upon the sofa. It had not been a stress-less day, and she did not want to have to do a ton of work for Scott's co-workers. "I don't think it's a very good idea to drink before your guests arrive, Scott," she said, not trying to hide her annoyance.

"I've had a bad day," Scott said shortly.

"Well so've I, Scott, but it is not _my_ work mates coming over tonight. I asked you to finish up the cleaning for tonight; I still have to finish the cooking."

"Don't you just have to cut the pork?" he said. "Hasn't it been in the oven all day?"

"Fine Scott, I'll just be a good wife and do everything for you and your mates while you sit on your fat arse and drink yourself into a coma," Lily said, her voice getting louder with each word.

They never used to fight. Out of their eleven year relationship, they had not fought until a few months ago. They had not begun to fight until they started trying to have a baby. About five months ago, they had both agreed that things were settling down enough to bring a baby into their lives. Thus, Lily had figured out her best days for conceiving and they had attempted to make a baby. It hadn't worked, and it still wasn't working. They had been having sex more than usual, but it was just sex, it wasn't making love. It was sex for a baby, not for intimacy. It made her feel used, almost. Afterwards, they never cuddled or talked. Instead, they just fell asleep. Still, she was not pregnant, and they each blamed each other for this, though neither would admit it. This was why, Lily deduced, the fighting began. Now, they fought about every little thing.

Lily had started to almost dread coming home, because she knew that a row would begin as soon as she walked through the door. She had been working ten to twelve hour days at the bookstore in order to avoid him. Guilt had started to set in over the last couple of weeks, but all of it left when she entered the house to encounter Scott on the sofa, completely unprepared for his business mates. Did he honestly expect her to do everything?

"This is my first glass, _Lily_, I am not plastered," Scott said defensively. "Calm down, I'll get everything done."

"I have been at work for the last eleven hours, and I asked you to get those things done so that I could finish up what needed to be finished up when I got home. But no, I guess that tiny list of tasks was too much for you."

"I'm sorry if I don't do things to your tight little schedule," Scott said, nearly sarcastic. "I'm sorry if I can't do anything right!" He stood from his place on the sofa to be at her level.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Scott had a way of intimidating her because of his height. Usually, she backed down or walked away, but this time she was not going to do that. This had gone on for too long; she wanted them both to admit the real problem that had been causing all of this nonsense.

"You think it's me, right? It's me who can't have a baby?" He was yelling now, so Lily raised her voice as well. She really hoped that he had only had one glass of rum. Otherwise, she knew he would be unreasonable. At least this was the root of the problem.

"No, Scott, I don't think it's you! I _think_ that we should go to a healer and figure out who it is. We could be trying for _years_ to have a baby, and I don't want that to happen! I want to know if we have to adopt!"

"What if I don't want to fucking adopt?" Scott cried. "What if I want to have my own baby by my own wife?"

"You can't always get what you want, Scott!" Lily replied.

"Maybe you should listen to yourself and realize that I will do that stupid list of chores in my own time!"

"Fine, I will stay out of your damn way!" Lily told him.

She had never been one for conflict. The only person she had actually ever had fights with was Albus, and those were mainly him picking on her. She did not like confrontation, and had never initiated it until recently. She hated to row, especially with her husband, and she wanted it all to stop. If only she could get pregnant, everything would be all right, and her anger would not be building up to monstrous proportions right now. She fingered the locket at her throat, wishing for some peace.

"Why the hell couldn't you have decided that earlier? Then we wouldn't be fighting!"

"Okay, it's all my fault, right? Every problem we've ever had is all my fault! Maybe you should take some responsibility for yourself every once in a while, and think about the fact that _you_ could be the impotent one!"

The rage was now glowing in Scott's eyes. Lily had just insulted his manhood, and taken a great blow at his ego. She had known that statement would get to him, but it was how she really felt about the situation, and honesty was one of her better character traits.

"It is NOT me!" he countered. He was angrier and louder than Lily had ever heard him.

"How do you know? Do you have some baby you fathered wandering around there?" As these words came out of Lily's mouth, she became slightly afraid of the answer. There was no other answer to how he knew for sure it was not him, but she realized that he was probably just defending his ego.

Instead of answering Lily's question, Scott just took a giant step closer to her and stared down at her. He raised his arm as if to hit her, before gritting his teeth and getting control of himself. In that time it took for him to lower his arm, Lily turned from a loud, bickering wife to a scared bunny. Her first reaction was to run away, and that was what she did. She turned around, ran out the front door, and into the middle of the neighborhood to the designated Apparation point.

Eight months ago, the bookstore had begun to take up less and less of Lily's time. She had been able to hire more managers as things got off the ground, and she had begun to prepare herself to have a baby. Since Lucile had Alexandria, she had less time for her best friend Lily, even though they now lived much closer than Greece. When the bookstore began to calm down, Lily visited her friend and goddaughter more often in preparation for having her own baby. She had also finished her next book, which was due to hit the shelf next January.

The first place she could think of to Apparate to was her friends'. She knocked on the front door, nearly shaking and in tears. Garrett opened it a second later. "Lily," he said concernedly, ushering her inside. "What's wrong?" Lily didn't answer, she was too angry. "Lucile!" Garrett called over Lily's head into the house.

Lily had presented the house to Lucile and Garrett as a present for the baby. It was a modest sized estate, but the important thing was that it had enough room for the three of them, plus another baby if they chose to have one. They had both been grateful and surprised when Lily handed them each a key ring and the deed to their new, fully-paid for house. Lucile had cried in her excitement. She had started furnishing the place at once, since they had all of that extra money they had saved up to buy a house.

Lucile, with Alexandria on her hip, came rushing to the living room. "Oh, Lilybaby, what's the matter?"

Her head would not clear. All Lily could think about was the image of Scott raising his arm. She knew that she had offended him by calling him infertile and accusing him of not telling her about having a child. That was going a little too far, she knew. Still, he had nearly raised his hand to her. He would never hit her, she knew that, but it was still frightening all the same. She tried to gather herself so that she could explain to her mates why she was so frazzled. "Scott and I…we had a row," she managed to get out. She clutched her head, which was beginning to hurt.

"You've been fighting a lot though, haven't you?" Lucile said softly.

"This one was…everything exploded," Lily half-explained. "I just left."

"Here, don't talk about it now, baby. Let's get you into the bath. Calm down first, talk later. Garrett, can you take Alex?"

Garrett took their child from his wife's arms and Lucile took Lily into the toilet and turned on the water in the bath. "Now you just stay right here and calm yourself, Lily doll." Lily slipped into the bubble bath after Lucile closed the bathroom door behind her. The water was nice and hot, and after Lily soaked for a few moments, her head began to untangle itself. It was just a little fight. At least she and Scott had gotten all of their feelings out into the open. Now all that needed to be done was to figure out if they could or could not have a baby. The important thing, Lily thought, was that they determined what to do together…If Scott still wanted to be together. Fear suddenly gripped at Lily. What if she had gone too far? What if Scott wanted a baby so badly that he would not be with her if she could not have one? All of this fighting had to be just a stage. They would get through it together. This was not allowed to break up their marriage.

Lily tried to steady her rapidly increasing breath. Outside of the toilet, she could hear Lucile talking to someone, and she strained to listen; the conversation seemed to be about her. "I just called to tell you that she's here, and she's all right," Lucile said. "I don't know what you did; Scott, but it really upset her. I've put her in the bath, so she hasn't told me what happened yet. By the way she was acting, that fight was something cataclysmic…Oh, so you want to see her, that's good, so it wasn't too terrible, then?...No, no, don't come over now, give her some time to calm herself. Enjoy your dinner party. I'll see you later…I love you, Scott. I hope you didn't cock-up too badly." The conversation ceased, and so did Lily's fears of a broken marriage.

In her fifth year at Hogwarts, Lily had come down with a terrible fever for a week and was confined to the hospital wing during that time. Scott and Lily had just started their relationship, and Lily had not expected him to do anything to support her recovery, except perhaps give her a Chocolate Frog or a bouquet of flowers. Instead, he had sat by her bedside during all of his free periods for the entire week, watching Lily in her delirium. Lucile had, of course, done the same thing. While Scott had cooled Lily's head with a face flannel, Lucile had held her hand and glared at Scott. That was the week that Lucile came to hate Scott. When Lucile had been the only one at her bedside during that week, she repeatedly told Lily how Scott was too good to be true, and how she should be careful around him because he just wanted to get into her pants. She ranted the entire time Lily was in the hospital wing, though Lily only heard the parts Lucile mentioned when she was awake. Eventually, Scott had picked up on Lucile's disdain, and so the two of them ended up vying for Lily's attention for weeks after she got out of the infirmary. They were both so good to her, they always had been, and they both looked out for her, even while they disliked one another.

She knew in her heart that Scott would still be with her when the night was over. They could and would get through this, just as they had gotten through everything else.

Lily knew that Lucile wanted to talk to her about what happened, but she did not feel like talking to anyone but Scott. She did not want anything to befuddle her or any other opinions to sway her. Thus, she only removed herself from the bath when she heard the doorbell ring. Her body was all wrinkly from the long time she had spent in the water, but that was not really her biggest concern right at the moment. All she wanted to do was resolve matters with her husband so that she did not dread coming home every day. This quarreling nonsense had to stop.

As soon as she was dried off and dressed, she left the toilet and went to face Scott. He was in the sitting room, talking to Lucile in hushed tones, obviously waiting for Lily too make an appearance. Lily timidly went over to join them. To her surprise, when Scott turned around to face her, he looked worried instead of mad. Without a word, Lucile gave Lily a small, encouraging smile and left the two of them alone in the room.

Arms crossed, Lily leaned against the doorframe, looking at her husband without emotion. She did not want to be the first one to speak, or the first one to apologize, for that matter. Even though she had insulted him, he was the one who had nearly raised his hand to her.

"Hi," he said apprehensively.

"Hi," she replied.

"Er…that was quite a row we had," he said.

"So what else is new?" Lily said sarcastically.

"Lily…" Scott's voice faltered. "I know we've been fighting a lot lately…I just wanted to apologize for…everything."

She knew he meant what had happened earlier. She also knew that he had just let his temper get the better of him. "I know you'd never hit me, Scott, I just got scared."

"I know you know," he said. "I'm so sorry, Lily. I never want to scare you; I don't know what happened to me. I guess all of these arguments have just been building up and I exploded." He looked down at the floor ashamedly.

"I don't even want to come home anymore," she admitted.

He picked his head up and looked at her, shocked. "I didn't realize we were doing so badly," he said. "It's all this baby stuff, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," said Lily. "I think that we both blame one another because we don't want to admit that it could be our own fault. We're pushing each other away when what we really need to do is handle this together."

"I know."

At that moment, Lily felt a more intense wave of love for her husband than she had felt in months and she took a step towards him. Uncrossing her arms, she said, "I love you, Scott, and I don't want to lose you over this. If we can have a baby, we'll have a baby, but if we can't, we'll have to figure out what to do from there. We. Us. Together."

Scott enveloped her in an embrace and held her close to his chest. Lily buried her face in his chest and breathed in the scent of him that his dress shirt held. She knew that it would probably be more difficult to stop the rows than just saying they were going to stop, but at least they both acknowledged the problem and were willing to work together through everything. He was holding her more tightly than she was used to, but she took that as a good thing. Tears were threatening to fill her eyes.

He rested his chin on the top of her head. "We're going to stop fighting," he said decisively, his deep voice vibrating through her body. "And the next time we have a problem, I don't want it to take you running out of the house to realize we need to do something about it."

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	17. Age Twenty Seven, Mentor

**This chapter is a little different form the others. I expect many reviews for all of the people who have this story on their favorites and alert lists. One review per reader!**

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_Age Twenty Seven, Mentor _

Lily Warner did not think that she would go back to Hogwarts until her children attended. She found herself now, however, hand-in-hand with her husband, on her way through Hogsmeade, headed to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a decade after her graduation. A broad smile was plastered across her face, and she had to restrain herself from skipping. "C'mon Scott, walk faster!" she urged, pulling on Scott's hand.

Scott was laughing at his wife's obvious enthusiasm. "Lily, we're not going to be late, don't worry."

The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with Hogwarts alumni on their way up to the castle. They were to all spend the weekend there; giving speeches and spending time with the respective students they were mentoring. This mentoring program had just started this year, and was for the benefit of sixth and seventh years. The headmistress had sent letters to successful Hogwarts alumni with various occupations asking them if they were interested in becoming a mentor for a Hogwarts student. Lily and Scott had said yes, of course, and wrote a general letter to the students explaining their professions. Then, they had received letters back from individual students who were interested in following in their footsteps.

Lily was mentoring Rosaleen, a sixth year Gryffindor who wanted to be a writer when she grew up. She had replied to Lily's general letter a mere two days after it had been sent. The letter had been full of enthusiasm, telling Lily how excited she was to have the advice of such a famous writer. She had seen Lily during her world tour, when she stopped in Ireland. Apparently, Lily was one of the reasons she wanted to become a writer; Rosaleen wanted to tell the truth in her novels, and that was what Lily Warner did.

Scott was assigned to mentor Brody, a seventh year Hufflepuff. He wished to work with the same types of animals that Scott worked with: the kind that could unexpectedly take a lovely little bite of you and send you to the hospital for four days to the detriment of your wife's health.

From Rosaleen's first few letters, Lily got the impression that she was a lonely, mostly friendless girl who poured herself into her writing. Lily wasn't sure if she had anyone to really talk to, so in one of her letters, Lily offered Rosaleen the opportunity to ask Lily for any advice, not just career related. As she suspected would happen, Rosaleen opened up to her and began to write to her about her boy troubles, her family, and the rest of her life. Talking to someone younger than her and giving someone advice felt good to Lily. She wanted to be doing that with her own child, but since that did not seem to be happening anytime soon, it was nice to have someone else look up to her as a role model.

The first few months after she and Scott had that showdown in Lucile and Garrett's sitting room had been absolute hell. They both tried their hardest to stop arguing, but it was easier said than done; they had fallen into such a routine of rowing that it was something difficult to break. At least they had worked together, and now everything was basically back to normal. Those months had also been spent in the offices of healers and Muggle doctors alike. Lily and her husband had been tested and tested again for every possible thing that could be hindering conception. All of those tests added up to one thing: that both Lily and her husband were perfectly capable of creating a child. There was nothing wrong with either of their reproductive parts, and yet they could not seem to have a baby together.

This had been a complicated concept to grasp for Lily. She was glad that they were both able to have a baby, in theory, but she was extremely frustrated that she could not get pregnant. At this point in her life, she wanted a baby more than anything. She wanted to expand her family with Scott. She wanted a little bundle of joy to share her knowledge and love with. They had been to have a baby for over a year now, and it just was not happening. Sure, they had talked about adoption, but Scott was not ready to deal with that yet, so they were still trying to have a baby.

Hogwarts looked the same as it always had. Lily could barely contain her excitement as she and Scott headed up the front staircase of Hogwarts and through the double doors. A few students were inside the Entrance Hall, smiling and pointing all of the mentoring alumni up the staircase and taking their luggage, assuring them it would be placed in their rooms. A smiling Lily followed their instructions and pulled her husband up the staircase.

"I feel old," Lily said as they made their way up the moving staircases to the third floor, following the students placed throughout the hallways, pointing them to where they were supposed to go.

"Why is that?" Scott asked.

"The last time we were here was ten years ago," Lily replied, a little short of breath. She had forgotten how much energy it took to climb these ridiculous staircases. "An entire _decade_ ago."

"Darling, if you feel old at twenty-seven, I can't imagine how you'll feel at fifty."

Lily chose to ignore him, and she said instead, "I'm excited to meet these students, aren't you?"

"I hope that's where we're headed," Scott said. "I don't want to climb all of these stairs for nothing." He wasn't short of breath like his wife because he did so much work outdoors. Lily was envious at that moment.

The last pointing student they ran into was one who pointed them through a doorway and into a richly decorated room, full of students, professors, and mentors who had already arrived. Two-person tables were placed around the room, and there was a buffet table covered in finger foods against one of the walls. A fire roared in the fireplace. Another student, standing in the doorway asked them their names and handed them nametags to attach to their shirts. After that was done, Lily and Scott walked fully into the room, splitting up and searching for their students.

Rosaleen was sitting at one of the small tables, looking awkwardly around the room. She was a timid looking girl with brown hair and glasses. Lily only recognized her by the nametag, since she had never seen any pictures of Rosaleen before; they only sent letters to one another.

Lily straightened out the invisible creases in her slacks, touched the locket around her neck (out of habit) and headed over to the table. For some reason, she was nervous about meeting Rosaleen.

The girl stood up hastily when she saw the famed Lily Warner came to stand by her table. "Hi," she greeted breathily, grabbing Lily's hand and shaking it. "It's so nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Lily replied. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Scott was shaking hands with his student as well.

"Um…would you like to sit down?" Rosaleen offered. They both sat down at the table across from one another, Lily smiling broadly, and Rosaleen looking nervous.

"I'm so glad to be here this weekend with you, Rosaleen," Lily said, offering up the start of a conversation to break the awkward silence. "I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now. This weekend should be fun!"

"You know, so many people are jealous that you're my mentor," said Rosaleen. "I've been telling everyone about you and there are so many teachers and students that want to meet you." She leaned forward across the table to get closer to Lily and hissed, "I don't know if they've told you, but one of the professors was talking to the headmistress about maybe having you give a speech, you know, since you're so popular." Rosaleen sounded excited to have something that other students envied.

From her letters, Lily gathered that Rosaleen had no one to talk to. She wrote and wrote, and that was all she did at meals, free time, and even during classes. She talked with the professors more than her peers. She liked a boy in Ravenclaw, just as Lily had back in her heyday, but apparently he didn't know she existed. Lily wanted to meet him this weekend. She hoped that Rosaleen considered her a friend by now, after three months of writing letters to one another. At first, Rosaleen had written to Lily to ask questions about becoming a writer, but the questions had soon turned to ones about personal things and to commentary about her life. Lily had shared some aspects of her life, as well, though she did not go nearly as in depth as Rosaleen did. Lily didn't feel completely comfortable sharing her life with a sixteen-year-old she had never met…well, never met until now, anyhow.

Rosaleen offered food to Lily, and the two of them headed to the buffet table. "Mrs. Warner?" called a voice behind her. The Hogwarts headmistress came to stand next to her, a smile on her face. "Mrs. Warner, I was wondering if you would, perhaps, care to speak to all of the children about your career. Many of them are interested in hearing about your success."

"I would love to," Lily replied enthusiastically.

"Fantastic; thank you so much," the headmistress replied. "A few other mentors are speaking as well. We're going to gather in the Great Hall in three hours. If you could prepare to talk for about fifteen minutes, that would be wonderful. Thank you."

Once she left Lily and Rosaleen to their food, Rosaleen burst out with, "_See! _ They all love you, Lily! Hey, would you like a tour of the school? They've said we're allowed to do that."

"Absolutely!" Lily cried. "Just let me tell Scott what's going on." She abandoned the plate that she had not even put any food on yet and crossed the room to where Scott was standing with Brody. Brody was one of those pretty-boys whom all of the girls wanted to date. He had those kind of piercing green eyes full of self-importance when he looked at Lily as she came up behind her husband, hooking her arm in his and stretching her mouth up to his ear. "I'm giving a speech in the Great Hall in a few hours; Rosaleen is giving me a tour of Hogwarts."

During the tour, Rosaleen took her mentor into the Gryffindor common room, which looked the same, and up to the girls' dormitories, which looked the same as well. Lily lay down on her old bed, staring up at the old tapestries. A smile broke out across her face for the millionth time. How she wished to have a daughter lay in this bed some day, staring at these tapestries. She was planning what to say to these children while she followed Rosaleen around. Public speaking was no stranger to her, but she had never done it solely for children. She wanted to inspire them and show them that they could do anything. So far, she had seemed to have done a good job with inspiring Rosaleen: she was already compiling her first novel.

The hour finally came for Lily and Rosaleen to head down to the Great Hall. All day, Rosaleen had been telling her mentor about the drama of her teenage life and the goings-on at Hogwarts. They had passed uncountable students in the corridors, and none of them had even said hello to her Rosaleen. Most of them just stared at her mentor in awe. "Most all of the students have read at least one of your books," Rosaleen told her, though Lily had no idea how she would have come by that information.

The senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and the chief healer of St. Mungo's were the two other speakers in the Great Hall. Lily felt like she paled in comparison to them and all of the words she had planned suddenly few from her head. She had been feeling good about this speech she was about to give, but now she wasn't so sure. At least Rosaleen believed in her.

A stage had been set up where the professors' table usually was. The undersecretary got up to speak after the Headmistress introduced him. Lily listened to both he and the healer before she stood up to do so herself. To her surprise, she received the loudest applause when he took her place on the stage.

Harry Potter was the one person that Lily had looked up to for her entire life. She was what he aspired to be, and that has always been the case. She wanted to inherit all of her father's traits, namely courage and headstrongness. She aimed to go out and conquer the world, just as he had. Well, she had at least _traveled_ the world, and she had spoken to hundreds of thousands of people. Still, she was nervous speaking in front of maybe three hundred children.

The students who wanted to hear the guests speak were all seated at the house tables. Right now, they were all looking up expectantly at Lily Warner, world-renowned author. "I have been asked today to speak to you about my profession," she began. Rosaleen was sitting at the very end of the Gryffindor table, staring up fervently at her mentor. It appeared as if she was going to squirm out of her seat in eagerness. "I know that many of you, especially sixth and seventh years, feel pressure to decide what to do with your life; whether to pursue further schooling, or to pick up some other trade. I know you feel that it's extremely important to decide now what your career is going to be, and I know many of you desire to become rich and famous. Well, I'd like to let you all know that it's not exactly imperative to choose your future at this exact moment. I will be the first to tell you that I lived in my parents' house for two years after my Hogwarts graduation. I knew that I loved the English language, but that was all. Becoming a famous writer was a complete accident. I suppose what I'm trying to tell you all is that you should do what you love to do. If you succeed, then that's fantastic, and if you don't succeed, then you should just try harder."

Her tongue loosened now, Lily began to talk about her path to writing and consequently traveling the world and opening a bookshop. She probably talked for too long, but all of the students appeared enthralled with her words, and therefore more words kept spilling from her lips. Rosaleen stayed on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide behind her spectacles.

Once, when Lily was ten years old, her parents had taken her to hear a speaker for three hours. She did not even remember what the speaker was rambling on about, not even the subject of the speech. All she could remember was that it had been incredibly bored and she had come up with a thousand ways to creatively escape the torture that was sitting there for those dreadful three hours. And here were three hundred students from ages eleven to eighteen, listening willing to her drabbling.

After the speeches, Lily, the Minister's senior undersecretary, and the chief healer hung around the Great Hall, talking individually to students and signing autographs. It was late once the stream of students dwindled down. Scott had already gone up to the empty classroom they were sharing for the weekend. The other two speakers had gone to their rooms as well, but some students were still talking to Lily. Brody, the student Scott was mentoring, was the last one left.

"I've read all of your books, you know," he told her, sitting across from her at the Slytherin table. "They're fantastic."

"Thanks," Lily replied for the nth time that night as she finished signing an autograph for him. "Here you go." She slid the piece of paper across the table to him.

"I had fun tonight, listening to you," he said. He was half-smiling at her. "I wish you were my mentor."

"Well you don't want to be a writer now, do you?" she said good-humouredly.

"No, I guess that's true," he chuckled.

There was a pause in the conversation. "It's pretty late, you'd better get to bed, don't you think?" Lily asked. She was fairly tired, herself. She was looking forward to heading up to the forth floor to the room she was sharing with Scott for the weekend. Today had been much to tiring to stay up too late.

"But I so enjoy talking to you," said Brody. "Your speech was so anti-authority, you know; you told us the exact opposite of what all of the professors have been drilling into our heads."

"Uh-oh," Lily said. "I hope I don't get into trouble."

Brody laughed. "Scott is very lucky to have you. You're such an attractive, intelligent, insightful person."

Lily blushed in spite of herself. This was getting to be an awkward conversation to have with one ten years her junior. "Well, I'm tired, so I think I'm going to get to bed," she said. "It was nice to talk to a fan." She smiled at him again in farewell, and pushed herself up from the table. "I'll see you tomorrow; goodnight." But when she stood, she found that Brody was right in front of her, putting his lips upon hers and grabbing her by the hips.

Lily automatically stepped back, tripping over the Slytherin table. She knew that she looked like a complete idiot as she regained her balance, but that was not her largest concern at the moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Brody said confusedly.

"Um…" Lily said.

"I just had to do that; I'm very attracted to you," he said. "I got the idea that you were interested in me as well."

"Um…" said Lily, backing towards the door. This situation was too strange to deal with at the moment.

"I'm eighteen Lily. That's only nine years younger than you, am I right?"

"Um…I'm married." Lily was almost to the door. She was walking backwards and feeling for the door with her hands, which were outstretched behind her. Brody was steadily coming closer to her. She felt dirty. Her lips needed scrubbing. There was an enormous knot in her stomach. She needed to throw up.

"I know you are, but I get the feeling that you two aren't right for one another. Reading his letters…I don't think he's really your type."

No words would come out of Lily's mouth. She was merely stumbling backwards out the doors of the Great Hall. This was absolutely unbelievable.

Somehow, she managed to run up the four floors of moving staircases, staggering into her makeshift bedroom and slamming the door behind her. She was breathing more heavily than she ever had. Scott was sitting in the king-sized bed, reading. He looked surprised when his wife slid down the wall, practically hyperventilating. "What's wrong, Lily?" he inquired, quickly getting out of the bed and coming to squat by her side.

Lily didn't even want to tell him what had just happened. Another man's lips had not touched hers for six years. He wasn't even a man. Brody was a boy who had just sprung himself upon her. "Erm…Brody just…" _Kissed. _ She could not say the word. "…he kissed me." _I love you Scott_, she thought.

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	18. Age Twenty Eight, Surprise

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_Age Twenty Eight, Surprise_

Lily Warner did not feel very well. She was climbing a ladder in her bookstore to put book on the top shelf, and nausea was washing over her in violent waves, threatening to topple her from the ladder. She was gripping the shelves, trying to steady her stomach. Her body was aching and the room was spinning. Her head felt stuffy and she had been using a ton of tissues.

These symptoms had been no stranger to her lately. She was obviously coming down with something, but she had fought off going to see a healer for as long as possible. Scott had finally persuaded her to make an appointment for today. She knew that she had a temperature as well, but she was trying to ignore that. The nausea was more difficult to shove aside, however.

The last time she had felt this sick was after she had gotten that lovely little kiss from a seventh year. That was still bookmarked at the most awkward moment in her life, and she had felt horrible about it for a week afterward. She had felt dirty and violated after it happened, and while Scott attempted to console her, she had gotten into the shower and attempted to scrub off her lips. Her husband had sat outside the shower, talking to calm her, all the while trying to keep himself calm. For some reason, Lily felt guilty about the entire situation, although Scott kept telling her that this was no her fault in any way. The shower water had just not been hot enough and the soap not effective enough and Lily kept scrubbing away. Eventually, once Scott had gotten control of his own emotions, he called Lily out of the shower. When she emerged, her entire body red from the intensity of the water's heat, Scott had a towel waiting for her, and he wrapped it around her and pulled her close to his chest. And that was that.

The next morning, when the mentors and their students were supposed to have breakfast with one another, Scott pretended that he had lost his voice during the night so that he did not have to talk to Brody. Lily had wanted to stick out the rest of the weekend to avoid disappointing Rosaleen, and Scott had agreed very reluctantly. He shot Brody dirty looks for the next two days and did not say one word to him. When they returned home at the end of the weekend, he cut off correspondence with the seventh year wife-kisser.

Now, Lily chose not to think too much about this event. At the present moment, she was much too preoccupied with the fact that the bookshelves were spinning around. It was probably not the best idea to be on a ladder.

"Lily, get down from there. It's time for your appointment," Rose called from the bottom of the ladder. She had on the glasses that made her look like a librarian.

"I'll come down once the room stops spinning," Lily replied.

It was difficult to Apparate in her nausea and dizziness, but Lily managed to do it without splinching herself. As she sat in the waiting room, she realized that she was a little anxious about this check-up. These symptoms had been going on for about two weeks, and Lily did not want them to mean that anything was wrong. She suspected that it was the flu, but there was no way to be sure until the healer checked her out.

She had never really enjoyed the atmosphere of the check-up rooms. They were brightly decorated so that children felt more at ease, and they always smelled of generic disinfectant sprays. Her normal healer was a very nice woman, who didn't make Lily feel awkward in any way. This was nice, because Lily had always had issues with showing her body to other people. The healer ran some tests on her, examined her body, and listened to what Lily had to say about her symptoms before leaving Lily alone on the examination table, awaiting the test results. She sniffed, and reached into the pocket of her slacks to pull out a tissue. A supply of them had been kept there for the past two weeks to subdue her sickness symptoms.

Her bookstore had not been doing as well as she hoped, this year. Her sales were dropping and she did not know how to get them up again. She had been trying to get famous authors to come in and read to attract customers, but the first reader did not come in until next month. Through her own fame, she had become acquainted with some of these writers, who subsequently agreed to come and help out a fellow writer. These readings were her last hope. Sure, she had enough of her own money to keep the bookstore open for as long as she wanted, but she did not want it to eat up the money she had; she'd rather be funneling that money into charities. That shop had taken her forever to open, and she did not want to shut it down, but that appeared to be a viable inevitability. Constantly staying home was not a very attractive decision for Lily, even though she was still writing. Her last book had not been as successful as her previous ones, either. Still, this year had not been as bad as the last one.

She had Scott had obtained all of the paperwork for adopting a baby. Scott had finally come to terms with the fact that they may never conceive their own child, so they were going to join the waiting list to get someone else's. They were only in the stages of filling out the dozens of sheets they had acquired, but at least they were doing _something_. And at least they were in it together. It was hard to get excited at this point in the process because the request for the baby wasn't even on paper yet, but Lily was trying her best. Scott was having an even more difficult time than his wife with the situation. She knew that the thoughts of adoption kept him up at night because he often kept _her_ up at night.

Lily had been devoting much of her thought to the child that the paperwork would bring. Her heart really longed to have a daughter, though she hadn't shared that little tidbit with Scott, who was hoping to have a son. She had been formulating plans about how she would raise a daughter and how she would teach her about the world and love and family. The adoption agents she and her husband had met with a few weeks ago informed them that this process could take from a few weeks to a few years, depending on how picky they wanted to be. Lily wanted to be picky, but she also did not want to wait a few years to receive a child. She was already twenty-eight, for Merlin's sake.

The healer returned with some papers in hand and a calming smile on her face. "Well, Lily, you'll be happy to know that all you've got is a case of an ordinary cold," she said. "I recommend lots of sleep and liquids; maybe take a few days off of work."

"That's really all I have?" Lily said, surprised to find herself relieved. "I don't usually get so severely nauseous and dizzy when I have a cold."

"Yes, well, these things happen," said the healer. "There are different severities of colds. Oh, and the fact that you're pregnant may account for some of the symptoms."

Lily froze. "_What?_" she hissed. "I'm what?"

"You're pregnant, Lily," the healer said, smiling at Lily's shock. "Two months pregnant, to be precise."

This was the same healer who had run all of the tests on Lily that told her it was going to be difficult to have a baby, and now she was telling Lily that a child was growing inside of her.

"A-are you sure?" Lily stammered. Her knees had given way and she was leaning against the examination table for support.

"Positive," the healer smiled.

"Thank you," Lily said sincerely. Then she leapt forward and threw her arms around her healer, thanking her profusely. "I've got to get home."

She Apparated home as quickly as she could, but Scott wasn't home. He was working onsite in Derby, so he was an extra hour's commute away. She needed to tell someone about this. She knew it wasn't healthy to Apparate when pregnant, so she did not want to risk Apparating so far away. Mobile was the only way to communicate with him.

The phone rang four times before the voicemail kicked in. Restlessly, Lily's legs bounced up and down while she waited for the beep. "Hey baby, it's me," she told the voicemail. "I want you home right now, but I suppose I'll just have to wait. If you get this before I see you then don't worry, I'm all right. There's just something important I have to talk to you about." She hung up, not wanting to give anything away in a message. This was an announcement that needed to be done in person.

She could call Lucile, but that did not seem to be fair to Scott. True, Lucile did tell Lily of her pregnancy before she found Garrett, but that was because she was not sure if Garrett wanted a child. Lily was four hundred percent positive that Scott wanted a child. It was killing her, not being able to tell him the news.

A baby was growing inside of her right at this very moment. Her hand crept to her stomach. She could not believe it. She had been waiting years for this exact moment. Now that it was here, she was the only one to experience it, and that was disappointing. If the situation was as she had always imagined it to be, Scott would have been there to celebrate with her. The champagne would be opened and they would toast to their child…though, come to think of it, Lily should not be drinking while pregnant.

She would love to write a book comparing and contrasting how Muggles raise their children versus how wizards raise them. That had always been a subject that interested her, but she had never pursued the research. Now, she would be able to add her own input into the book, since she was going to have a baby herself.

She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. _Finally._ She wanted to tell Scott more than anything, at this point. The want had turned into a yearning. The news had to be told to someone, since Lily had been waiting for such a long time to receive it. Impatiently, she tapped her foot against the table. Her eyes kept involuntarily wandering to her stomach. They had finally managed to conceive. It had only taken…well, it had taken years, but at least it had happened.

Lily heard a key turn in the front door, and it opened, revealing Scott laden with all sorts of his crazy instruments that he used when he worked on sites. Lily stood from her chair immediately and rushed over to help him set down his burden. "Hello, my darling," she greeted, taking things from his arms and kissing his face. "Did you listen to the voicemail I left you?"

"No, I'm sorry, I didn't get it," Scott said. He sounded curious. Once he had put down all of his gadgets carefully, he gave her a kiss. "What did it say?" he wondered.

"We_ll_," she began, dragging out the word. "I went to the healer's today."

"How did it go? Is something the matter?"

They were still standing by the front door, but Lily could not contain the information any longer; she had waited too long to tell him already. "No, nothing's the matter. Actually…" She couldn't help it, a smile popped onto her face. "We're pregnant, darling."

It was a good thing that Scott had already put down all of his equipment, because otherwise, he would have dropped it. Instead, only his jaw dropped. "You're pregnant?" he gaped in disbelief.

"Yes," Lily beamed. "We finally did it. We're having a baby."

A smile matching Lily's spread across Scott's face. Suddenly, he hugged his wife tightly, picking her up and spinning her around. "We're pregnant!" he cried. He set Lily down and kissed her forcefully. His face was glowing. "This is amazing. Lily…I…_Merlin_…we're having a baby!" He kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Lily replied.

"We can throw away those adoption papers and finally start planning for our own baby! We can paint the spare room for a nursery and baby-proof the house and names! We've got to come up with names!"

Lily laughed, loudly and joyously. "We still have seven months. Tonight, I think we should celebrate."

Smiles were plastered on both of their faces, and Lily did not expect them to disappear anytime soon.

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	19. Age Twenty Nine, Party

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The next chapter will be my last, though I think there might be an epilogue. So I want a lot of reviews this chapter, yes? I'll take suggestions for other stories, and I encourage you to read and review my other stories.**

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_Age Twenty Nine, Party_

The night had not even begun yet, and Lily was already too tired to function. Rose was calling her with a problem at the bookstore, the baby was crying, and the dinner was not finished. Not to mention the fact that she hadn't taken a shower, brushed her hair, or put on any makeup since Thursday. It was a good thing that Scott had not been on site today, and was able to come home when Lily phoned him, frantic, insisting that he report home immediately or his parents would not be too happy with his mess of a house.

She had been up all night last night with the baby, so she could not be expected to clean the entire house on about twenty minutes of sleep. Olivia was her little gem, but she was not a sleeper, that was for sure. Lily swore she got joy out of crying, even at the tiny age of a month and a half.

Lily had done her fair share of crying in the last year. Hormones were a bitch. The extra weight gain had not been too pleasant either…nor had the morning sickness. As much as she had been looking forward to having a baby, the worrying had been a constant problem during her pregnancy as well. Scott had to reassure her at least once a day that she was going to be a wonderful mother. Through all nine months of her pregnancy, he had been extremely supportive and enthusiastic. Once again, he proved himself to be a fantastic husband. He had taken over much of the housework so that Lily could get some sleep after being on her feet all day and going through her ridiculously erratic mood swings, and he was always there to rub her feet or her back when she started to complain.

The fact that she wasn't a very spectacular businesswoman did not factor in to her contentment too well. Her bookstore had kept failing under her supervision, no matter how many famous friends came to read. She just didn't have the skills to keep a good business running. It was good that she and Scott were not tight for money, because Lily hadn't actually made any from her store in months. Thankfully, the royalties from her many books could support a small army of people. Once her pregnancy began to show and affect her work even further, she had no other choice but to go on maternity leave and promote her cousin Rose to general manager. Since then, Lily had just been acting as the owner, and Rose was running everything. Things seemed to be going much better now, and the store was actually bringing in some profits.

Throughout the latter part of her pregnancy and the last month, it had been difficult to find any time to spend with her parents, besides their occasional visits; a ton of people had been in and out of the house since Olivia was born. The only people that hadn't come to see her yet were James and Jordan and their twins Julius and Jessica. Lily's niece and nephew were now five years old, and Lily always enjoyed talking to them over the telephone. It saddened her that she didn't get to see them very often. She was trying to convince her brother to move back to the UK to be closer to his loving family, but he had a secure job in the States. Lily had been talking to Jordan about a move as well and, even though Jordan's parents lived in Utah, Jordan was actually considering Lily's suggestion. Lily's brother hadn't even gotten the chance to see his new niece.

Albus had finally gotten himself hitched. It was to his long time girlfriend, Elizabeth. They had been married in a great cathedral in the heart of London six months ago. (Luckily, that was at a point where Lily's pregnancy had not been so apparent, so she still looked fairly decent in her dress.) Lily had been spending a lot of time with them as of late, and she had also been spending days with her cousin Hugo and his fiancée Guinevere. Guinevere had actually just had a baby as well. She and Hugo had gotten engaged when she found out that she was pregnant. Lily hadn't had a close relationship with her cousin Hugo before she and his fiancée could share pregnancy horror stories, so Lily thought it was nice that this all happened. She never minded forging closer relationships with family members.

Tonight was going to be devoted to Lily's parents and her in-laws. They were coming over for dinner, but that was still not done. Olivia, who had apparently woken up, needed to be tended to first, however. Lily pulled her daughter from her crib to soothe her wailing. Apparently, she was hungry. After Olivia was fed, Lily set her down in her crib and tried not to get into bed herself. Her stress levels were too high for her comfort. She also needed some sleep, since she hadn't gotten any of it for over a month. Sadly, dinner called. The parents were due to arrive in about an hour, so there wasn't much time. It was lucky that she was a witch and that a few quick utterances of _Scourgify! _took care of the cleaning.

She heard Scott's footsteps on the creaky wooden staircase and he entered their bedroom a minute later. "Everything's in the oven and cut up for the salad," he said, and sighed. The stress had been getting to him as well.

Lily looked at him thankfully. "Thank you, darling. Now I have time to take a shower and actually put something else on besides sweatpants."

"I have to take a shower, too," Scott said suggestively.

Lily chuckled. "As much as I would love that, it's not really possible right now."

"Why not?" Scott wondered. "The baby's asleep."

"Yes, but if she woke up, or something was wrong, we would never hear her."

"If she was crying, I think we'd be able to hear her down the street," Scott muttered.

"Also, we would never be ready by the time our parents arrived," Lily added, ignoring her husband's last comment. "I'll be fast, and then you can take one." She kissed him before heading off to the shower. She was sure that her red hair was more wild than usual, and she couldn't remember the last time she had changed her clothes.

Scott's parents had seen even less of their granddaughter than Lily's had. Mr. and Mrs. Warner had been traveling the world for the past few months, only returning to England to pay a visit to the maternity ward at St. Mungo's when their daughter-in-law was giving birth. They had decided to treat themselves to an extended vacation, so they were covering all of Europe, Asia, and North America. They had finally returned from their extravagant trip last week, and were now on their way to their son's house.

By the time Lily emerged from the shower she could smell the roast in the oven. She wasn't a huge fan of cooking, and she did not have too much of a talent for it. Luckily, Scott was a more gifted chef than she. It seemed that all she was semi talented at these days was writing, and perhaps motherhood.

After a quick check to see that Olivia was sleeping again, Lily headed down the staircase in her bathrobe. She heard Scott slip into the loo behind her. The clock in the kitchen told her that she had a mere thirty minutes to prepare for her parents' visit. With her wand, she lit the assorted candles spread throughout the downstairs rooms and the fireplace in the sitting room. Then, she went back upstairs to get dressed.

Olivia was the best thing that ever happened to her. Lily could not even remember hot she had survived without her daughter in her life. Pregnancy had been no picnic, what with the mood swings, cravings, pain, and weight gain, but the outcome was completely worth it. Sure, there was a lot of nappy changing and sleep depravation, but Olivia brought her joy like nothing and no one else could. She loved to hold her daughter while she was crying, or stare at her when she was asleep. She also loved to watch Scott hold and rock Olivia, cooing to her softly and trying to put her to sleep. All of the late nights, extra weight, and lack of showers were more than worth it. Actually, Lily couldn't wait to have another child.

She had just finished getting dressed when the doorbell rang. Scott was busy levitating the crib into the sitting room, Olivia on one arm and his wand in the opposite hand, so Lily had to go answer the door.

Her parents looked dashing, as usual. As soon as Lily opened the door, she was bombarded with an embrace from her mother. Her parents looked dashing, as usual. They both had such energy to them, even in their increasing age. "Now, where is my little granddaughter?" her mother inquired.

"In the sitting room," Lily replied.

She followed her parents into the sitting room, where Olivia was lying in her crib. Her parents fussed over the baby for a while. "You look horrible," Lily's mother informed her.

"Thanks," Lily replied, rubbing her tired eyes. "That's a wonderful way to greet your hostess. And after I worked so hard to look nice for you."

"Oh, you know I love you, darling," her mother said. Mr. Potter chuckled.

"Yes, well, I think it's time for supper," said Lily, leading her parents into the dining room.

After she seated her parents and in-laws at the dining room table (set with the good china and silver), she went to the kitchen to assist Scott in bringing out the food. He was slicing the roast when she came up beside her. "I'm already tired," she said, leaning up against him. She glanced at the clock. "Can you get supper on the table? I've got to feed Olivia." Scott kissed her before Lily headed back into the sitting room.

It was difficult to be away from Olivia for too long. First of all, Lily worried about her constantly, so she needed to check on her daughter every ten minutes. Secondly, Olivia was a crier. She loved to cry and cry until she was fed or changed, and then she cried some more. That was what occurred when Olivia spotted her mother entering the room: she burst into tears. Lily lifted her from the crib and cradled her daughter in her arms. After she fed Olivia, she took her upstairs and changed her.

"Lily! Your food is getting cold!" her mother called from downstairs.

Lily's grandmother had been having some health problems lately. That was another reason that Lily hadn't been able to see her parents very often: they had been spending a lot of time with _their_ parents in the hospital. Lily had taken Olivia to Grandmum Weasley a few times, but, for some reason, Olivia was not too fond of the hospital. She always began to wail as soon as they walked through the doors of St. Mungo's.

Lily returned downstairs with her baby. She placed Olivia back into her crib for, hopefully, a nap, and took her seat at the dining room table among her family. They all caught up with one another and the interesting things going on in every person's life.

"I'm impressed with this dinner, Lily," Mrs. Warner said.

"Actually, this was mostly Scott's doing," Lily admitted. "I got the deficient cooking genes."

"I'm surprised that I never knew of these amazing cooking skills," Mrs. Warner said. "I could have used your help in the kitchen every once in a while, Scott."

"Yeah, well, that's why I never revealed my powers," Scott chuckled.

"Lily, have you talked to James lately?" Lily's father wondered.

"No, he seems to be avoiding me, since all I can seem to talk to him about is moving back here," said Lily.

As Lily's mother opened her mouth to say something, the doorbell rang. Lily glanced across the table at Scott, telling him silently that she didn't want to get up and answer it. "Excuse me," Scott said, removing the napkin from his lap and getting up from the dinner table.

Lily heard the front door open, and seconds later, a storm of noise swept into the dining room, and two five year old Potter children were racing around the table, clearly chasing one another. Lily's jaw dropped in surprise. Her niece and nephew were running around her dining room, and her brother and sister-in-law were entering the same room with her husband. Lily found herself rising from the table, mouth agape.

"Surprise, little sis," James greeted warmly, wrapping his sister in his arms. He had always given _such_ good hugs. "Mum, Dad, I take it from Lily's expression you didn't let my secret slip?"

"You two knew that this was happening?" Lily asked in shock.

"This was part of my evil surprise plan," James said. "We're moving into that lovely little house five blocks away."

Lily's jaw dropped again before she leapt at James and embraced him harder than she ever had before. "I knew I'd get to you eventually!" she cried. "You can't stay away from me for too long!"

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**Hit the button!**


	20. Age Thirty, Charity

**Sorry this was late! So this is the last official chapter, but I'll put up an epilogue soon! Remember, reviews make my day... :) **

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_Age Thirty, Charity_

Life in the Warner household had, once again, become overwhelmingly busy. A few months ago, Lily found herself weary of staying in the house all of the time and not working. Money from her various books was still piling up. So, instead of merely filing it into charities as she had always done, Lily decided to do something to raise money herself. She decided to hold a charity ball to raise money for orphaned children.

She was in no large hurry to get her project up and running, but then she discovered that she was going to have another baby. After years and years of trying and failing to conceive, now, it seemed, Lily could have babies with no trouble at all. This second pregnancy was a complete accident, though it was not unwelcome by any means. All it meant was that Lily had to speed up the charity project while dealing with her horrible pregnancy symptoms. It was lucky for Olivia that, at one year old, she would not remember her mummy acting so crazy.

Olivia had a way of getting into everything, whether it should be accessible or not. She had just begun to run, and it was her new favorite thing to do. Lily and Scott had to make their house completely baby-safe. They had to cover all corners of tables and chairs. All glass was put high out of reach. They added more pillows around the house; in case Olivia decided to run into walls (which she often did) she wouldn't be too damaged.

Lily's second pregnancy was not too far along at the moment; she wanted to have her charity banquet before her mood swings became too intense. After all, she had to speak in front of all who attended the event tonight. She had managed to sell one thousand tickets at three hundred pounds a piece, so that brought in a good chunk of change for the local orphanages. It was really lucky that she had some pull with the writers and artists of Europe. She imagined that, if she was not a celebrity, never in a million years would she have been able to sell so many tickets. She had rented a banquet hall in the center of London, along the same avenue that the ball of the foreign Ministers was held every year. It was going to be filled with fifty tables, each seating a score of people, as well as an open bar, a stage, and a large dancing area.

All of her friends and family were attending, thanks to her father, who had purchased tickets for the lot of them. Lily was extremely excited. She had spent uncountable hours on the phone with caterers, bands, servers, and many others to prepare for this occasion, but it was all going to be worth it, especially because she could still fit into the dress she bought six years ago for another grand ball. Sure, she had to make a few minor alterations, but it still looked more fabulous on her than anything else she had ever owned. Lily was currently squeezing into said dress, while Scott debriefed the baby sitter downstairs on Olivia's nightly routine.

This was only going to be the third time that Lily was leaving her daughter to the mercy of a babysitter. It was very difficult for her to leave her little girl to a stranger, but it was a necessity. Besides, she hadn't had a great night out on the town in ages.

Lily was putting in her diamond stud earrings, leaning close to the mirror to see the holes in her ears, when Scott entered the bedroom. He looked exceptionally smart in his tuxedo, a bowtie fastened around his neck. "All right, the baby sitter's all set with Olivia. And you are absolutely not wearing that tonight. Change right this instant," he said.

"Why, is something wrong?" Lily asked, looking at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out the problem.

"You look much too hot to go to that banquet filled with fife hundred men. They will all stare at you, and I cannot have that," he replied seriously.

Lily grinned. "That's right: the last time I wore this dress, you were lying unconscious in a hospital bed."

"In fact," Scott continued, ignoring his wife's comment, "I don't think we should go to this banquet at all." He was approaching her slyly, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck.

Lily giggled girlishly, swatting away her husband. She knew when she bought this dress six years ago that it would get this reaction from Scott. Of course, this was two pregnancies ago. "Come on, darling, we've got to get there so that I can make sure everything is ready."

"Well if that's your decision, then I cannot take responsibility for anything I may do to any man that lets his eyes wander too long on you," he said, giving Lily a kiss before releasing her.

Between taking care of Olivia, maintaining a household, dealing with another pregnancy, owning the bookstore, and organizing this charity ball, Lily had very little time to work on her next book. For ten years she had been constantly writing, and this was the first time that was not happening. It was upsetting, but she just did not have the time or energy to come up with new ideas to put into words. The most frustrating part of the situation was that she had no idea when she was going to have time to write. With another child on the way, even more of her time was going to be taken up by taking care of her children. Of course, children were not an inconvenience or unwanted in any way. It was merely that writing had been her life, (besides Scott), until a year ago, and it was difficult to break that habit.

They arrived at the banquet hall to find everything in order. The caterers had arrived, the decorations were hanging, and the stage was set for the band. To Lily's surprise, she found nervous butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Her palms were becoming itchy from sweat. If this event tonight was not spectacular, the blame would all be put on her and the press would have a field day. She would lose all credibility as a charity organizer and the orphaned children would never receive more money from the London artistic elite. Suddenly, Lily was feeling the pressure, and she did not like it one little bit.

During her seventh year at Hogwarts, there had been a dance for the graduating class. The Great Hall was festooned magnificently with garlands and fairies, and somehow they had secured a live band to play. Lily had, sadly, gone dateless. She hadn't wanted to go to the dance at all, because Lucile had a date and therefore could not hang out with Lily through the night, but it was actually Lucile who had convinced her to go. It was the last big event before graduation, and Lucile insisted that Lily spend the night with the graduating class. Lily had donned her best dress robes and, hoping to find someone to dance with, headed to face her doom. Scott had also managed to secure a date for the occasion, which furthered Lily's vacillation about attending the dance. For the first part of the night, she stared witheringly at Scott and Haley Grandall twirling around the dance floor, but then a lovely Hufflepuff gentleman had offered Lily his hand, and they danced the rest of the night away. It had been an enjoyable evening, and Lily wished now that she had the same no-pressure, at-ease feeling right now as she had then.

She positioned herself near the door to greet the witches and wizards as they entered the room. Most of the guests arrived on time, and Lily cued the band to start playing as soon as everyone was seated and the food was brought out from the kitchens. She wondered how the babysitter was doing with her darling Olivia. Olivia was very particular about what she would and would not eat. She would only eat certain baby foods, much to Lily's dismay. She tried to keep Olivia on a very healthy diet, but it was difficult to get her all of the nutrients she needed because she wouldn't eat everything babies were supposed to. Luckily, at the grocery, she had discovered a drink for infants that gave them all of the nutrients they needed. This put Lily more at ease, because she was always worried that Olivia wouldn't grow up properly or she would do something to damage her daughter's health.

Lily's parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, Garrett, and Lucile, were all seated at two of the tables in the middle of the room. Once she had greeted all of the guests at the door and everyone was happily munching away at their dinners, Lily strode over to those she loved. "How is everyone doing?" she asked, coming up behind Jordan and putting her hand on the back of her sister-in-law's chair.

"The food is wonderful honey," Mrs. Potter said.

"The place looks great," said Albus's wife, Elizabeth. "It must have taken an entire team to decorate this place."

"You look fantastic," said Jordan. "How do you manage to look so fantastic while you're pregnant?"

"Thanks," Lily replied, blushing. "Now, you've all got to promise me that you're going to dance. You know how people don't like to be the first ones on the dance floor. Well, I need this entire table to get up and dance. James, I know you're very clumsy on your feet, but I won't take that as an excuse."

"Hey!" James interjected indignantly.

Lily laughed. "Sorry, brother, but I've got to tell it like it is. At any rate, I really need you all to dance, because if this thing isn't a success, the orphans will never get £30,000 from me again."

"Thirty thousand pounds!" Mr. Potter cried. "Lily, that's amazing."

"Why, thank you," Lily said proudly. "I just hope tonight goes as well as planned. The band is certainly doing their part, and I'm glad the food is good. Now we just need the dancing…and I have to speak after everyone's finished eating."

"Lily, you've spoken in front of thousands of people before, this should be a breeze," Albus scolded. "Don't be nervous."

"Yes, you look stunning, Lily," said Jordan. "So, even if your words are a mess, people will be too distracted by your body to notice."

"Don't let Scott hear you say that," said Lily, chuckling. "Finish your meals; I've got to go visit everyone. Thank you for supporting the London orphanages!"

Having James and Jordan move in to the neighborhood was wonderful. Lily saw them at least twice a week. Their families normally had dinner together on Saturday nights. Jessica and Julius loved to play with their little cousin Olivia. Lily loved to have her brother there; he supported her now as he had back in their Hogwarts days. The difference now was that he told her things about his life when she told him about her life. Jordan was a fantastic fellow mother to chat with as well. Plus, Lily enjoyed entertaining her niece and nephew. They were the two biggest balls of energy Lily had ever come across, and she loved them.

She wasn't actually going have a chance to eat at this banquet because she had to circle the room and make sure everything was in, and stayed in, order. She had saved a seat at one of her family's tables for Scott to sit and eat, which was what he was doing currently. Lily was too nauseated to think about eating, however, so it was good that she could busy herself with walking around the vast room in her enormous dress. It was nearly time for her to shuffle onto the stage and make her little speech in front of these famous, influential people.

She caught Scott's eye from across the room and he smiled lovingly at her. He had now been a part of her for fifteen years—half of her life. It was incredible to think that she was so lucky to find such a wonderful life partner at the small age of fifteen. She and Scott had been through so much together, especially with their inability to have a child for a while, and they had come out of everything for the better. She knew that most men would be intimidated by her fame, since he did not have any, but Scott had never been anything but supportive of her. Lily didn't know how she had gotten so lucky.

Her footsteps on the way up the stage's stairs were heavy. It was difficult to climb stairs in heels. She waited off to the side of the stage until the band was finished with their song. As the audience applauded for the music, she walked to the microphone, clapping herself. "Good evening," she said, smiling, once the applause had abated. "I'm Lily Warner, the organizer of this function." Lily got some applause at this statement. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming tonight and supporting the children in the London orphanages. With you help, we have managed to raise £30,000." More clapping erupted after this fact. "I would just like to thank you all personally for your generous donations, and I welcome you to read more about the cause you are giving to. There are pamphlets on the local orphanages by the front door, where you came in. I hope you all enjoyed the food, and I invite you to dance when you are finished eating. Thank you again, and enjoy the rest of your evening!"

With that, she carefully walked back across the stage and down the stairs, glad to have that over with. The music started up again and, as promised, her family filed out onto the dance floor. Garrett was sweeping Lucile around the entire floor. He had always been a magnificent dancer. James, true to form, was tripping over his feet while his wife led the dance.

Lily continued making rounds with the various influential people in attendance at the banquet. The night was going fabulously, and a smile broke out across her face. It looked like everything was a success. Other people were dancing now, and everyone looked like they were having a good time. All of a sudden, Scott was at her side, pulling her away from the guests.

"Listen, Lily," he said. "You're not allowed to talk to any more men. I've seen the looks you've been getting, and I don't like them."

"Scott, you've really got to stop with this," Lily said, shaking her head.

"I'll stop as soon as you snog in a broom closet with me," Scott said playfully.

Lily couldn't wipe the happy smile from her face. Tonight was going so well. "I'll snog as soon as you dance with me," she grinned, dragging him onto the floor.

"Oh, all right," Scott said in submission. "I suppose that's a fair compromise."

Everything was going swimmingly. She couldn't ask for a better husband, a better daughter, or a better career. Sure, she had been through her fair share of problems: what with her unreturned love for Scott back in the day, the fire in her flat, dealing with her family and friends move away, her problems with Tim and Samuel, fights with her husband, not being able to have a child, that ridiculous kiss from Brody, and dealing with her husband lying, dying, in a hospital bed, just to name a few. Her life so far had been quite a ride, but she felt that the good far outweighed the bad.

She laughed openly and genuinely, throwing her head back, as Scott spun her around. Her dress flared out impressively. She hoped that the next fifteen years with Scott, and the fifteen after that, were just as wonderful as the first fifteen had been. From now on, they would have two children to deal with, and perhaps even more than that. They were starting a family, and Lily was completely ready for the ride. With such a supportive, loving system of her husband, daughter, family, and friends, Lily was ready for anything.

"Come on, darling," she said to her dance partner, "let's go snog in the broom closet."

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**Aww! Did you like the ending? I'll have the epilogue up as soon as possible. Reviews are lovely. **


	21. Epilogue, Age Fifty, Article

**FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Here is the epilogue, exactly six months from the start of this story. I have truly enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you have all enjoyed reading it. I welcome reviews, comments, and story ideas. I genuinely thank you all for reading.**

Epilogue, _Age Fifty, Article_

The year Lily Warner was born, the magazine _Magical Life _released its first issue. Every year since then, they featured a different magical celebrity in their January edition. For their fiftieth anniversary, they were interviewing all their featured celebrities of the last fifty years and compiling an enormous issue. Lily, of course, was one of these people. She had been on the cover of this magazine twenty six years ago, and now they were back. For the nth time in her life, she was in the spotlight, and it felt wonderful.

The interviewer from the magazine, Jasmine Dale, was currently in the seat across from Lily's. They were seated in Lily's perfectly cleaned sitting room, the camera flashing periodically in Lily's face, documenting her life at home. Lily was in her best skirt and blouse, her graying hair meticulously pinned up, smiling at the interviewer.

"Thank you for having us here," said Jasmine, smiling politely and adjusting the microphone pinned to her blouse. "We asked you the standard questions twenty-six years ago, so now I'd like to delve a little deeper into your life."

"Sounds good to me," said Lily, smiling. Her jaw was beginning to ache from all of the smiling, and the interview had not even begun yet.

"Let's begin with the beginning of your career. How did you get started writing?"

"It was rather an accident, really," said Lily. "After Hogwarts, I was living with my parents, working at a bookstore. That's when I began to write, just in my spare time, which was plentiful back then. I finished my first manuscript after I moved out of my parents' house. It survived a fire in my new flat before it finally got published. All I was trying to do was tell the truth, and get the story of my father out there. I felt honored because he had never allowed anyone to do that before. I had one chance to tell the world what he had been through, so I told it like it was. I never expected for the book to be such a success.

"After that first one was published, everything just sort of happened from there. I love to write, that was something I knew. Something I _discovered_ while I was writing the book is that I'm a people person. So, for my next book, I interviewed and interviewed with a hundred different people. You see, I was touring around the world then, giving readings and doing interviews, but I always made time to interview people, because I wanted to get everyone's story."

"Your twentieth book was just released. All of your stories have been non-fiction thus far. Have you ever considered writing some fiction?"

"I don't think so," Lily said. "All I've ever been concerned with is telling the truth. Honestly, I don't think I have enough creativity in me to write fiction."

"Fair enough," said Jasmine with a smile. "Now, the subject of each of your books has been different, but they all seem to, fundamentally, be the same. All of your books seem to revolve around family. Family seems to be your main inspiration. How has your family been an influence in your life?"

Olivia had her younger brother, Angelo, and her sister, Hero, out for the afternoon. Lily assumed that they were Christmas shopping, but she couldn't be sure. Ever since Hero obtained her driver's license, she wanted to be on the road every minute of the day. Lily had been rather nervous about allowing her youngest to drive more so than her other two children. Hero was not really known for her sensibility. As long as Angelo was in the car, however, Lily knew it would be all right.

It was hard to believe that her children were all practically adults now. Hero was the only one left in Hogwarts. Unlike Lily herself, both Olivia and Angelo had moved out of the house as soon as they graduated from Hogwarts. Olivia had gone on to a Muggle university, because she was very interested in Muggle Studies. She was in her third year there, and was doing very well. Angelo was going to school to become an Auror, something that his mother never had the drive to do. She was extremely proud of them both.

Hero wanted to become a journalist. She still had a year and a half of school to complete, but that was what she was working towards. She was a very eccentric sixteen-year-old, and Lily knew that she would do well in the field of journalism. She was definitely a people-person, and was not afraid to get out into the world to get the information that she needed.

"Family is everything to me," Lily replied. "I grew up with a large family, and they're all still around me, plus a few more. My brothers are two of my best friends. My best friends are also like my family."

Garrett and Lucile's two children were home for the holidays as well. Alexandria had taken time off of work to spend time with her parents and her younger sister, Kyrie, who was home from Hogwarts. She and Hero were in the same house, in the same year. They were both in Gryffindor, like their mothers, and were very close friends. This fact made Lily rather happy. It was exciting to see her child so close to her best mate's child.

James and Jordan still lived around the corner. All of their children were out of the house, (Lily was sometimes jealous), and they enjoyed their time alone by taking weekend trips out to a cottage in the countryside that Harry and Ginny Potter had purchased a few years ago.

Hugo and Guinevere ended up breaking off their engagement. Their daughter, Erin, was now living in Wales, studying marine biology. Lily often had dinner with Hugo, who was now seriously dating someone and planning to propose to her. Lily was always up to welcoming a new member into her expanding family.

"You've gathered quite a fortune over the years, correct?" Jasmine asked.

Lily laughed lightly. "Yes, I should say so."

"But, instead of using it to buy a lavish estate, you've given much of your wealth to charity, specifically orphanages. Can you explain your reasoning for that? Many people with the amount of money you have keep all of it and live very large."

"I've never put much merit in material wealth, I suppose," replied Lily. "I've been very lucky throughout my life; my father inherited a good deal of money from his parents, so we lived rather comfortable lives while I was growing up. I never had to worry about money, even when I was first living on my own, because my parents always fronted me the funds necessary for my bills and the like.

"Despite the money my parents had, we lived in an average-sized house, and I was always brought up with the values that family is the most important thing, not money. My parents never wasted money, so I try to do the same.

"Once I decided that I was going to start funneling money into a specific cause, I had to really sit down and think about what that cause was going to be. I suppose I settled on orphanages because my father was an orphan, and he has always stressed the value of family. I just want others to have a family like I am lucky enough to have."

"So it all comes back to family?"

"I suppose it does," said Lily.

Five years ago, when Hero was in her second year of Hogwarts, Lily became bored of being home alone with her husband all of the time. Most of her relatives' children were away at school as well, so life had grown very boring. The year before, during the first time their household had ever been childless, Lily reveled in the quiet and calm, but the second year that was not the case at all. To shake her life up a little and make things more exciting, she had decided to take Scott on a tour of the western world to promote the under funding of orphanages and the squalor many orphans had to live in. Her children had stayed with their grandparents that Christmas while their parents were off speaking at conventions and raising awareness for the less fortunate children in the world.

If there was one thing that Lily had learned about over the course of her life, it was the fact that she got bored easily. She always had to begin a new project or participate in something she had not done before. Some would call her impatient, she guessed, but she just dubbed herself adventurous. Scott was more or less the opposite; he was perfectly content with a steady job and staying right where he was. Still, he was up for anything Lily wanted to do, which had been a lot over the thirty five years they had known one another.

"You've gained three children since you were last in _Magical Life_. What impact have they had on your writing career?"

"Having children gave me a completely different perspective on life, as I'm sure most parents can tell you. I have attempted to keep my personal life separated from my professional life, but it's a difficult task, let me tell you. As my children were growing up, they always insisted on giving me input for my books. They always wanted to be main characters, even though I only write non-fiction. Sometimes, I would go to my desk to find pages lying there, written out in crayon, shoved into my manuscripts. Hero would do that most often. She's inherited my writing genes."

"The name Hero isn't a common one. Where did that name come from?" Jasmine wondered.

"Actually, all of my children's names came from the Muggle playwright, Shakespeare. I discovered him while I was working in libraries right out of Hogwarts and fell in love with his plays. I've made a point to visit all of the historical locations that had to due with his life and his plays."

As a graduation gift to each of her children, Lily gave them the option to travel to any country in the world for a month. Olivia had chosen to go to Switzerland, and Angelo had picked Japan. Scott had taken them on these voyages the month after their graduation from Hogwarts, leaving Lily with her other two children. Hero was planning her trip meticulously, though she still had a year and a half until it occurred. She had a large map of the world hanging in her bedroom, and she was researching the tourist attractions in each country of the world. She crossed out every country that sounded unappealing, and put circles around the possibilities. So far, Taiwan, Iran, France, China, Kuwait, Madagascar, and Colombia were crossed out. Spain, Thailand, and Belize were circled on the map. Olivia had gone through a similar process to choose her vacation spot, but Angelo had merely closed his eyes and pointed to a place on the map. Lily was trying to spread a love of travel and worldliness to her children. Much of the reason Hero wanted to become a journalist was because she could travel.

"You also opened a bookshop years back, right? Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur if you were already busy writing?"

Lily laughed openly. "In hindsight, I suppose it wasn't such a fantastic idea to do so, but I get bored very easily, and I needed something to spice up my life. I love books, obviously, and I wanted to share that love with the world. What I found out, however, is that I am not a very astute businesswoman. Luckily, I had my cousin Rose step in and take over, so that I could focus more on writing and eventually starting my family."

Rosaleen, the girl Lily had mentored at age twenty-seven, had come to work at the bookstore Lily had finally sold to her cousin Rose. Rosaleen had managed to become a published author, but her book had, sadly, not been too successful. She had been working at the bookstore for ten years, and seemed to be very content with her job. Lily visited the shop often to give readings and check up on the goings on, not to mention purchase a book or two. Rose and her husband David were doing very well, and had a child in Hogwarts to show for it.

"So are there any other surprises we can expect from Lily Warner?" Jasmine asked. "What are you plans for the future?"

Lily had to think about this question for a moment before answering. "I think that I'd like to do some more traveling, once my children have all moved out. I am really dedicated to the work I do for orphans, and I would like to continue that."

"Can we expect another book from you?" Jasmine wondered.

A smile played at the corners of Lily's mouth. She had intended for this book to be her last, and she wanted it to be a surprise. "Perhaps," she replied ambiguously. "I don't want to reveal anything too soon; you'll have to wait and see."

"I'm sure your loyal readers would love to see you write for the rest of your life," said Jasmine, "myself included."

"Well, thank you," said Lily genuinely. "I've had fantastic experiences with my fans over the years; they continue to amaze me with their generosity and excitement. I would love to continue to please them, but I'm honestly running out of book ideas. I might like to do some travel writing later in life, however. I think that would be a fun career path, though I'm not sure how my loving husband would feel about it." Lily smiled at the thought.

As if on cue, Scott poked his head into the room. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "I was wondering if I could get you ladies anything. Tea? Coffee?"

"No, thank you," said Jasmine.

"Thanks, darling, but we're fine," Lily said, smiling at her husband. He was still as handsome as he had been at fifteen, though he was quite a bit more mature-looking. He could still brighten Lily's day with a smile or a loving glance. He still kissed her every day when he returned home from work and held her hand secretly under the dinner table at supper every night. He always made a point to call her during his lunch break and check up on her. These things that had become routine for the two of them were held so dear to Lily's heart.

"Oh, Lily, Olivia just phoned; they should be back in ten minutes or so," Scott informed Lily. He threw a smile at her before taking his leave.

"Well, I'll take that as my cue to bring this interview to a close," said Jasmine Dale. "I just have one last question: out of all of the roles you have played in your life, (daughter, student, author, traveler, mother, entrepreneur, philanthropist, wife), which title would you like to be remembered by?"

"You may find this hard to believe, but I feel like my children are my greatest accomplishments, despite every thing else I have done in my life, so I would like to be remembered as a mother. I have been fortunate enough to be able to live the dreams of hundreds of other people in the world, but my children are more important to me than any of the amazing things I have done."

Lily loved having her children at home. She missed them almost constantly when they were away, and worried about them whenever she had an idle moment to do so. They made her life so much more hectic, but it was an enjoyable craziness. Their house really was not suitable for five residents, but they had managed in close quarters. By the time Olivia hit eleven, the house was large enough because she was off at Hogwarts, and then the home emptied steadily after that.

Lily preferred it cramped and full of activity, and she was sure her daughter Hero did as well. Hero, like Lily, was the youngest of three, and she missed her siblings terribly when they were away. She especially looked up to her older brother Angelo. Lily knew that Olivia had always been too bossy to Hero for Hero to feel very close to her. Hero wrote to Angelo often, and his opinion mattered very much to her. Hero and Angelo shared a relationship such as the one Lily had with her brother James.

Olivia had always been closer to her parents than her siblings. She never minded going shopping with her mother or running errands with her dad. She and Lily had lunch as often as possible; whenever Olivia could find free time from University. Scott often surprised her at school and treated her to coffee.

Angelo had always been in an intimate relationship with his books. Wherever he was, he carried a novel with him. He tore through books faster than anyone Lily knew. Once he moved out of children's books, (around age seven), he made his way through all of his mother's books. Lily swore he was her biggest fan, and she loved it.

"Thank you very much for your time," Jasmine said, closing her interview notebook, and reaching out to shake Lily's hand. "I feel honored for the chance to interview you, and I hope to see more of your books on the shelves in the near future."

Lily stood and walked Jasmine and the camera crew to the door. "Thank you," she said to them genuinely. "I enjoyed being in the spotlight again."

For that was where Lily felt like she was destined to be: in the spotlight, trying to get the truth out there into the world, to make some sort of difference.


End file.
